Dietary wheat amylase trypsin inhibitors exacerbate CNS inflammation in experimental multiple sclerosis

Victor Zevallos, Nir Yogev, Judith Hauptmann, Alexei Nikolaev, Geethanjali Pickert, Valeska Heib, Nicola Fittler, Sebastian Steven, Felix Luessi, Manjusha Neerukonda, Claudia Janoschka, Ann-Marie Tobinski, Luisa Klotz, Ari Waisman, Detlef Schuppan

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4 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Objective: Wheat has become a main staple globally. We studied the effect of defined pro-inflammatory dietary proteins, wheat amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATI), activating intestinal myeloid cells via toll-like receptor 4, in experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Design: EAE was induced in C57BL/6J mice on standardised dietary regimes with defined content of gluten/ATI. Mice received a gluten and ATI-free diet with defined carbohydrate and protein (casein/zein) content, supplemented with: (a) 25% of gluten and 0.75% ATI; (b) 25% gluten and 0.19% ATI or (c) 1.5% purified ATI. The effect of dietary ATI on clinical EAE severity, on intestinal, mesenteric lymph node, splenic and central nervous system (CNS) subsets of myeloid cells and lymphocytes was analysed. Activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with MS and healthy controls was compared. Results: Dietary ATI dose-dependently caused significantly higher EAE clinical scores compared with mice on other dietary regimes, including on gluten alone. This was mediated by increased numbers and activation of pro-inflammatory intestinal, lymph node, splenic and CNS myeloid cells and of CNS-infiltrating encephalitogenic T-lymphocytes. Expectedly, ATI activated peripheral blood monocytes from both patients with MS and healthy controls. Conclusions: Dietary wheat ATI activate murine and human myeloid cells. The amount of ATI present in an average human wheat-based diet caused mild intestinal inflammation, which was propagated to extraintestinal sites, leading to exacerbation of CNS inflammation and worsening of clinical symptoms in EAE. These results support the importance of the gut-brain axis in inflammatory CNS disease.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbergutjnl-2023-329562
Pages (from-to)92-104
Number of pages13
JournalGut
Volume73
Issue number1
Early online date18 Aug 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2024

Keywords

  • small intestine
  • nutrition
  • autoimmunity
  • brain/gut interaction
  • gluten free diet

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