Thiol–disulfide homeostasis in children with celiac disease

Abstract

Background Toxic gliadin peptide damages enterocytes in celiac disease by causing oxidative stress. Thiols are organic compounds that defend against oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the changes in thiol–disulfide homeostasis in children with celiac disease. Methods The study included patients with celiac disease, children diagnosed with functional gastrointestinal disorders, and healthy children. Patients’ serum native and total thiol–disulfide amounts, disulfide/total thiol percent ratios, disulfide/native thiol percent ratios, and native thiol/total thiol percent ratios were measured. Results The study involved 172 children, of whom 90 (52.3%) were girls. The mean participant age was 8.6 ± 4.2 years. A total of 59 (34.3%) children had celiac disease, 56 (32.6%) had functional gastrointestinal disorders, and 57 (33.1%) were healthy. The total thiol and disulfide levels of patients with celiac disease (305 ± 87 μmol/L and 25 ± 15 μmol/L, respectively) were significantly lower than those of healthy children (349 ± 82 μmol/L and 40 ± 15 μmol/L, respectively) (P = 0.006 and P < 0.001, respectively). Native and total thiol levels (226 ± 85 μmol/L and 279 ± 99 μmol/L, respectively) in patients with celiac disease who consumed a gluten‐containing diet were significantly lower than those of patients who consumed a gluten‐free diet (278 ± 64 μmol/L and 327 ± 69 μmol/L, respectively) (P = 0.017 and P = 0.041, respectively). Conclusions Thiol–disulfide homeostasis, an important antioxidant defense component of the gastrointestinal system, is disrupted in children with celiac disease. A gluten‐free diet helped partially ameliorate this decline.