The impact of gluten-containing and gluten-free diets on intestinal inflammation: Evaluation of fecal calprotectin in a healthy rat model.

OBJECTIVE

Gluten-free diets are increasingly adopted by individuals without gluten-related disorders, despite limited evidence for anti-inflammatory benefit. We evaluated whether varying gluten exposure influences intestinal inflammation in healthy rats using fecal calprotectin (fKp) as the outcome.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Forty newly weaned male Wistar albino rats were randomized to four isocaloric, iso-nitrogenic diets for 12 weeks (n=10/group): (1) standard wheat-containing control, (2) gluten-free animal protein-based diet, (3) control diet supplemented with 6% vital wheat gluten, and (4) control diet supplemented with 12% vital wheat gluten. Food and water were provided ad libitum. After a 12-h fast, rats were sacrificed and cecal fecal samples were collected individually. fKp was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

Mean fKp differed across groups (one-way ANOVA, p=0.030). Compared with the gluten-free group (26.57±5.77μg/g), fKp was lower with 6% gluten (23.33±5.14μg/g) and 12% gluten (23.57±4.86μg/g) (p=0.013). fKp did not differ between the standard control (29.98±5.76μg/g) and gluten-free diets (p>0.05). There was no difference between 6% and 12% supplementation, indicating a plateau effect.

CONCLUSION

In healthy rats, gluten-containing diets did not increase intestinal inflammation as assessed by fKp. Gluten elimination provided no anti-inflammatory advantage over a standard diet, whereas moderate gluten supplementation was associated with lower fKp without a clear dose-response. Findings should be interpreted cautiously and considered hypothesis-generating rather than definitive.