Abstract
Recent reports of the use of organ culture of animal foetal small intestine to detect cereal toxicity have proposed its use for screening the toxicity of cereal peptides for coeliac mucosa. Sane authors have assessed toxicity using morphological means, others by more objective biochemical means; the results have been variable. We have used foetal rat small intestine organ cultures to test the toxicity of gluten fraction III (GFIII), assessing the effect by morphological and biochanical means.
Small intestinal segments from 18-day old rat foetuses were used and ware obtained fron several foetuses in one litter for each experiment. They were cultured with and without GFIII for 48 hours. Segments before and after culture were observed histologically and significantly more developed definite tall villi after culture in the absence of GFIII (p = 0.009), associated with significantly less stratification (p = 0.014) and more colimnar epithelial cells (p = 0.024). Alkaline phosphatase activity fell during culture, whereas α-glucosidase activity increased but there was no difference whether GFIII was present or not.
Gluten toxicity for foetal rat intestine was detected using morphological, but not biochemical, means. Morphological assessment was difficult however, due to considerable variability within sections. We do not consider this type of culture to be sufficiently reliable for routine investigation of cereal toxicity, and advise caution in the interpretation of the results.
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Howdle, P., Wood, G. & Losowsky, M. ORGAN CULTURE OF FOETAL RAT SMALL INTESTINE FOR TESTING GLUTEN TOXICITY- A REAPPAISAL. Pediatr Res 20, 697 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198607000-00070
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198607000-00070