Serum IgG subclass antibodies to gliadin and other dietary antigens in children with coeliac disease.

IgG subclasses of antibodies to the dietary antigens gliadin, glycgli (a gluten component), ovalbumin (OA) and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) were quantified in children with coeliac disease (CD), nine on a gluten-containing diet, 15 on a gluten-free diet, and in appropriate controls. In addition, total serum IgG subclasses were measured. IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies to gluten and glycgli were detected in 9/9 and 8/9 CD-patient on a gluten-containing diet, respectively, and in 4/15 and 6/15 patients on a gluten-free diet. None of the controls had appreciable levels of IgG1 antibodies and only 1/22 of the controls had IgG3 antibodies to gliadin and glycgli. IgG2 and IgG4 antibodies to the same antigens were found in a few coeliacs and controls. Consecutive samples from coeliac children (8 patients) showed a clear relation between the exposure to gluten and a rise in IgG1 (8/8) and IgG3 antibody levels (7/8). In contrast, IgG antibodies to OA and BLG were almost exclusively of the IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses. The highest levels were found in children with CD, but the differences between the groups were not significant. Total serum IgG subclasses did not differ between the groups, but the IgG2 and IgG4 levels in most coeliac children were low. The production of IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies to gluten components may be an important precondition for the development of coeliac disease in susceptible individuals.