The Dietary Intervention of Transgenic Low-Gliadin Wheat Bread in Patients with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) Showed No Differences with Gluten Free Diet (GFD) but Provides Better Gut Microbiota Profile

Abstract

The study evaluated the symptoms, acceptance, and digestibility of bread made from transgenic low-gliadin wheat, in comparison with gluten free bread, in Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) patients, considering clinical/sensory parameters and gut microbiota composition. This study was performed in two phases of seven days each, comprising a basal phase with gluten free bread and an E82 phase with low-gliadin bread. Gastrointestinal clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire, and stool samples were collected for gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) determination and the extraction of gut microbial DNA. For the basal and E82 phases, seven and five patients, respectively, showed undetectable GIPs content. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene V1-V2 hypervariable regions were sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform and downstream analysis was done using a Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) pipeline. No significant differences in the GSRS questionnaires were observed between the two phases. However, we observed a significantly lower abundance of some gut genera Oscillospira, Dorea, Blautia, Bacteroides, Coprococcus, and Collinsella, and a significantly higher abundance of Roseburia and Faecalibacterium genera during the E82 phase compared with the basal phase. The consumption of low-gliadin bread E82 by NCGS subjects induced potentially positive changes in the gut microbiota composition, increasing the butyrate-producing bacteria and favoring a microbial profile that is suggested to have a key role in the maintenance or improvement of gut permeability.

Effect of Gluten-Free Diet on Gut Microbiota Composition in Patients with Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten/Wheat Sensitivity

“…In a world witnessing an increasing prevalence of GRDs [ 136 , 137 ], industries aim to satisfy the demand of gluten-free food by designing and producing new technology-driven ad hoc products. Accordingly, Haro et al evaluated the effects of transgenic low gliadins wheat bread on intestinal microbiota composition in patients affected by NCG/WS [ 138 ]. Transgenic wheat was characterized by very low gliadins (90% less than the wild type wheat), reduced low molecular weight glutenins and high non-gluten protein content.…”

Stimulatory Response of Celiac Disease Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Induced by RNAi Wheat Lines Differing in Grain Protein Composition

“…In addition, the reduction in gliadins in this line is not compensated with an increase in the glutenin fraction but with NGPs, suggesting a minor role of these proteins on the stimulatory effect on PMBCs. Particularly, symptoms of bread made from E82 were evaluated in comparison with gluten-free bread in NCGS patients, showing no differences in the appearance of symptoms [43], meaning that the higher NGP content does not trigger symptoms in NCGS patients. Line E82 is not completely devoid of gluten, and further refining RNAi technology to completely silence additional gluten genes should be required.…”

CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing of Gluten in Wheat to Reduce Gluten Content and Exposure—Reviewing Methods to Screen for Coeliac Safety

“…Challenged and control people both did not show gluten immunogenic peptides in their stools and responded similarly in a Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire. Consumption of low-gliadin bread increased butyrate-producing bacteria and favored a microbial profile that may improve gut quality (90).…”

“…Up to now, the use of RNAi has resulted in the E82 line with strongly reduced levels of gliadins, that has been tested on people with NCWS (90). This line had good dough quality while the gliadin level was strongly reduced.…”