Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Celiac disease is one of the most common forms of food intolerance (prevalence 1/200). The disease occurs in genetically predisposed individuals after ingestion of foods containing gluten. Celiac patients can suffer from severe malabsorption syndrome, mainly characterized by diarrhea and weight loss. The only therapeutic approach currently recognized is a life-long gluten-free diet.

Specific regions of gluten molecule become recognizable by lymphocytes and activate them, due to changes made by tissue transglutaminase. These changes consist in the conversion of specific residues of glutamine into glutamic acid. The consequence is an increased binding affinity between gluten and histocompatibility molecule (HLA-DQ2), localized on the surface of the "antigen presenting cells" (APC); the exposure of the fragments of modified gluten on the surface of APC is a phenomenon that eventually activates T lymphocytes.

Recent studies on modified gluten confirmed the hypothesis that it is possible to block the presentation of gluten to lymphocytes by means of lysine ethyl ester binding exclusively to those gluten regions responsible for lymphocyte activation.

The enzymatic treatment is performed directly on flour instead of extracted gluten, maintaining the same anti-inflammatory effectiveness.

The procedure uses a food-grade enzyme, the microbial transglutaminase (mTGasi) isolated from Streptoverticillium mobarensis, able to catalyze the formation of intermolecular "cross-links" that modify the functional properties of the products.

Objective of the study is to validate the ability of the enzyme treatment of wheat flour with mTGasi and lysine ethyl ester to block the toxic effect of gluten in celiac patients.


Clinical Trial Description

Celiac disease is one of the most common forms of food intolerance (prevalence 1/200). The disease occurs in genetically predisposed individuals after ingestion of foods containing wheat gluten and similar proteins found in other common cereals such as barley and rye. Celiac patients can suffer from severe malabsorption syndrome, mainly characterized by diarrhea, weight loss and growth retardation. The only therapeutic approach currently recognized is a life-long gluten-free diet.

Specific regions of gluten molecule become recognizable by lymphocytes and activate them, due to changes made by tissue transglutaminase. These changes consist in the conversion of specific residues of glutamine (Q) into glutamic acid (E). The consequence is an increased binding affinity between gluten and histocompatibility molecule (HLA-DQ2), localized on the surface of the "antigen presenting cells" (APC); the exposure of the fragments of modified gluten on the surface of APC is a phenomenon that eventually activates T lymphocytes.

Recent studies on modified gluten confirmed the hypothesis that it is possible to block the presentation of gluten to lymphocytes by means of lysine ethyl ester binding exclusively to those gluten regions responsible for lymphocyte activation.

Specifically, it is possible to perform the enzymatic treatment directly on flour instead of extracted gluten, maintaining the same anti-inflammatory effectiveness. The final procedure consists in dissolving the flour in water in the presence of appropriate concentrations of enzyme and lysine ethyl ester, maintaining the suspension in constant motion for two hours at room temperature.

The procedure uses a food-grade enzyme, the microbial transglutaminase (mTGasi) isolated from Streptoverticillium mobarensis, already used for the preparation of food. The mTgasi is able to catalyze the formation of intermolecular "cross-links" modifying the functional properties of the products through the aggregation and polymerization of proteins. The peculiar method identified by our laboratory reduces the possibility of cross-links between proteins: consequently, minimal changes involve the gluten structure and, consequently, the visco-elastic properties of the dough.

Objective of the study is to validate the ability of the enzyme treatment of wheat flour with mTGasi and lysine ethyl ester to block the toxic effect of gluten in celiac patients. ;


Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Treatment


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT02472119
Study type Interventional
Source University of Roma La Sapienza
Contact Antonio Picarelli, medicine
Phone +39 06 49978370
Email antonio.picarelli@uniroma1.it
Status Recruiting
Phase Phase 2
Start date June 2015
Completion date August 2015

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT04349904 - Near-Focus NBI Classification of Villous Atrophy in Suspected Coeliac Disease: International Development and Validation
Recruiting NCT05581628 - FREQUENCY OF FIBROMYALGIA IN PATIENTS WITH CELIAC DISEASE
Completed NCT04593251 - Dose Escalation Study to Evaluate an Experimental New Treatment (CALY-002) in Healthy Subjects and Subjects With Celiac Disease and Eosinophilic Esophagitis Phase 1
Completed NCT05810441 - Intestinal Transglutaminase Antibodies in Celiac Disease Diagnosis
Recruiting NCT05555446 - Bovine Colostrum to Prevent Absorption of Gluten Early Phase 1
Completed NCT02754609 - Hookworm Therapy for Coeliac Disease Phase 1
Terminated NCT01902368 - Celiac Disease Screening N/A
Completed NCT02472704 - Lymphocytic Enteritis and Suspected Coeliac Disease: Gluten vs Placebo N/A
Completed NCT02312349 - Assessment of Gluten-Free Availability in Elaborated Food Stores in Three Neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires City
Completed NCT01172665 - Celiac Disease Database
Completed NCT01100099 - HLA-DQ2-gliadin Tetramer for Diagnosis of Celiac Disease Phase 2/Phase 3
Completed NCT00639444 - Risk of Celiac Disease and Age at Gluten Introduction N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT05425446 - Study of the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Biomarker of DONQ52 in Celiac Disease Patients Phase 1
Enrolling by invitation NCT02202681 - Imaging the Duodenum Using an Optical Frequency Domain Imaging OFDI Capsule N/A
Completed NCT00362856 - Safety and Tolerability Study of Larazotide Acetate in Celiac Disease Subjects Phase 2
Terminated NCT03866538 - Budesonide in Patients With Immune Mediated Enteropathies Phase 4
Recruiting NCT05135923 - Glutenfree, Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Regulation N/A
Completed NCT05052164 - Improvement Of Physical And Physiological Parameters In Menopausal Or Post-Menopausal Celiac Women N/A
Completed NCT03775499 - Probiotic BL NCC 2705 and Gluten Sensitivity N/A
Completed NCT03707730 - A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled, Crossover Trial to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy of AGY in Celiac Disease Phase 2