Celiac disease cure: I just open the door but you must walk through it yourself

Abstract

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune condition characterized by a specific serological and
histological profile triggered by gluten ingestion in genetically predisposed individuals. Celiac
disease (CD) is the most common autoimmune gastrointestinal disease, affecting nearly 1% of the
world population. There are currently no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved
treatments, other than a gluten-free diet (GFD). Chemokines have been widely related to
autoimmunity and inflammation, due to their key role in the selective recruitment of leukocytes.
CX3CL1 can be found as a membrane-attached protein acting as an adhesion molecule, or as a
soluble protein with chemotactic properties. To study the prevalence and clinical significance of
CX3CL1 expression and its association with clinicopathological features of Celiac disease (CD) in
Tobruk-Libya. The study group included 29 selected cases of Celiac disease, diagnosed at Pathology
department of Tobruk Medical Center, Libya, between 2016 and 2019. All patients were underwent
upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsy intake. Other clinicopathological data (gender, age,
intestinal and extra-intestinal manifestations) were extracted from medical files. All cases are stained
with Hematoxylin and eosin stains and immunohistochemistry for CX3CL1. The details of 29
patients selected for analyses are as follows. The mean age of the patients at time of endoscopy
biopsy was 111 months (range, 6–216 months, 18 years) with peak age between 6 and 24 months,
and 8 were (27.6%) males and 21 (72.4%) were females. 25 cases of the Celiac disease presented by
intestinal manifestations (86.2%) and 4 cases presented by extra-intestinal manifestations (13.8%).
Immunohistochemical analysis of CX3CL1 expression was shown in all cases. 27 Celiac disease
tissue biopsies (93.1%) showed negative CX3CL1 staining (score 0), while 2 biopsies showed
positive CX3CL1 immunostaining 1+ and 2+. Total number of cases which demonstrated
overexpression of 2+/3+ were 24 (16.9%). CX3CL1 can be used as diagnostic marker useful for
Celiac disease (CD). Further larger researches are compulsory to validate CX3CL1 as an alternative
therapeutic target in Celiac disease.