A natural compound is able to prevent inflammation of gluten in the intestine

2024/01/03 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna
• Medikuntza

One study has shown that a compound extracted from the salbia plant, salbianolic acid, is able to prevent gluten inflammation in the intestine. The research has been led by Ainara Castellanos Rubio (UPV/EHU, Ikerbasque) and, although they still have to continue researching, they have made progress that may be useful in combating celiac disease.

In fact, people with celiac disease cannot consume gluten and their only treatment is to maintain a strict gluten-free diet. A couple of years ago, Castellanos and his colleagues discovered that gluten can cause changes in RNA. This increases the production of XPO1 and inflammation of the intestine.

Now, researchers claim that salbianolic acid inhibits XPO1 protein formation, interrupting the inflammatory process. Research has been done on cells and mice with good results.

Salbianolic acid, very common in the Chinese diet, is considered an infusion. Therefore, researchers know it has no side effects. They say that there is still a need to continue researching the treatments that are being tested in the normal pathway, but research opens the way to developing new therapeutic strategies for celiac disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and the colitis.El study has been published in the journal Gut (BMJ).