Altered peripheral amino acid profile indicate a systemic impact of active celiac disease and a possible role of amino acids in disease pathogenesis
Journal article, 2018

Background: We have previously performed a Genome Wide Association and linkage study that indicated a new disease triggering mechanism involving amino acid metabolism and nutrient sensing signaling pathways. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate if plasma amino acid levels differed among children with celiac disease compared with disease controls. Materials and methods: Fasting plasma samples from 141 children with celiac disease and 129 non-celiac disease controls, were analyzed for amino acid levels by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS). A general linear model using age and experimental effects as covariates was used to compare amino acid levels between children with a diagnosis of celiac disease and controls. Results: Seven out of twenty-three analyzed amino acids were elevated in children with celiac disease compared with controls (tryptophan, taurine, glutamic acid, proline, ornithine, alanine and methionine). The significance of the individual amino acids do not survive multiple correction, however, multivariate analyses of the amino acid profile showed significantly altered amino acid levels in children with celiac disease overall and after correction for age, sex and experimental effects (p = 8.4 × 10 -8 ). Conclusion: These findings support the idea that amino acids could influence systemic inflammation and play a possible role in disease pathogenesis.

Author

Åsa Torinsson Naluai

University of Gothenburg

Ladan Saadat Vafa

University of Gothenburg

Audur Gudjonsdottir

University of Gothenburg

Henrik Arnell

Karolinska University Hospital

Lars Browaldh

Karolinska Institutet

Staffan Nilsson

Chalmers, Mathematical Sciences, Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Daniel Agardh

Lund University

PLoS ONE

1932-6203 (ISSN) 19326203 (eISSN)

Vol. 13 3 e0193764

Subject Categories

Pediatrics

Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Nutrition and Dietetics

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0193764

More information

Latest update

11/22/2019