Treating Celiac Disease with Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
The future of medicine is here, and it’s called stem cell therapy. Cellebration Wellness is proud to be a leader in this field. To better understand the impact of stem cell therapy, let’s explore the science behind these groundbreaking treatments.
Celiac disease is a truly debilitating autoimmune disease. This disease generally occurs in people who are genetically predisposed to having the ingestion of gluten cause damage to the small intestines.
When people who suffer from this disease consume gluten, which is a common protein that is found in rye, barley, and wheat, it causes their body to mount an immune response that essentially attacks the small intestine. This can lead to damage within the intestines, particularly the villi, which are small finger-like projections that line the inside of the small intestine. Villi is responsible for promoting nutrition absorption. When they are damaged by the response, it can result in malabsorption.
Celiac disease can develop at any age after a person begins consuming gluten. However, it is a hereditary disease, meaning that it typically runs in families between parents, siblings, and children. People who are first-degree relatives of another person who has celiac disease have a 1 in 10 risk of developing it personally.
How Common is Celiac Disease?
Statistics provided by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) show that nearly 2 million Americans suffer from Celiac disease. This equals to nearly 1 out of 133 Americans, or approximately 1% of the entire population. Across the globe, these numbers equate to one out of every 100 people suffering from celiac disease or 1% of the global population. Unfortunately, only 30% of patients are properly diagnosed with the condition.
What are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease?
There are a plethora of symptoms that sufferers can experience with celiac disease. In some instances, people who have this disease can experience symptoms that come and go, while others may have constant digestive problems or other lasting symptoms.
Some of the digestive symptoms commonly reported by adults and children with celiac disease include:
- Pain in the abdomen
- Gas
- Constipation
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Chronic diarrhea
- Lactose intolerance as a result of damage within the small intestine
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loose, bulky, greasy, or foul-smelling stools
When children suffer from celiac disease, it can result in problems with absorbing nutrition, which can lead to growth and developmental issues. These include:
- Delays in puberty
- Damage to the adult teeth
- Mood changes
- Feeling impatient or annoyed
- Failure to thrive
- Weight loss
- Showed growth or short height
In addition to digestive problems, people who suffer from celiac disease can experience problems with various other parts of their bodies. These can include;
- Headaches, seizures, balance problems, and peripheral neuropathy
- Fatigue or increased tiredness
- Dermatitis herpetiformis
- Reproductive problems
- Joint and/or bone pain
- Canker sores in the mouth
- Dry mouth
- Red, shiny, smooth tongue
- Mental health problems (anxiety, depression, etc.)
Most people who suffer from celiac disease experience multiple symptoms before they are ever diagnosed with the disease. As a result, they suffer extensively before they are able to be treated.
Long-Term Health Conditions
When patients suffer from celiac disease but do not receive timely treatment, it can lead to dangerous long-term health conditions. These can include:
- Infertility and miscarriages
- Liver failure
- Early onset osteoporosis or osteopenia
- Heart disease
- Malnutrition
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Gall bladder malfunction
- Neurological symptoms like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dementia, ataxia, or multifocal leukoencephalopathy
- Small intestinal cancer
Studies have also found that the later a person is diagnosed with celiac disease, the more progressive the disease can become. This can result in a higher chance of developing other autoimmune disorders.
How is Celiac Disease Treated?
When it comes to treating patients who suffer from celiac disease, the options are quite limited. Doctors generally recommend dietary changes for patients who suffer from this condition. Patients are requested to follow a gluten-free diet in order to prevent an immune system response to the food.
Doctors generally refer patients to a dietitian, who can help them determine the best dietary approach moving forward. They will recommend that patients check food labels and check product labels to ensure they do not have gluten. They will help them design everyday meal plans that they can follow and implement into their diet. They will also help them make healthier choices when it comes to food and drinks that they consume.
Additionally, patients are recommended to avoid various medications in various other products that may contain gluten. This can include herbal and nutritional supplements, vitamins, mineral supplements, some prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications.
In addition to dietary changes, doctors may implement other treatment options in order to help address some symptoms that need additional assistance in treating and eliminating them.
When patients suffer from dermatitis herpetiformis as a result of celiac disease, doctors generally prescribe them medication, like dapsone, to help treat the condition until the rash is under control through dietary changes.
If patients go without treatment for celiac disease and experience malnutrition or malabsorption, doctors generally test the vitamin levels and mineral levels and recommend prescription supplements in order to help offset the imbalance. Additional testing is generally required in order to determine if patients are at risk for various other complications. This can include a bone mineral density test.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for celiac disease. Most people are required to follow a strict diet that can help manage the symptoms and promote the healing of their intestines. Unfortunately, those diagnosed with this disease are forced to deal with the dietary restrictions and the symptoms forever.
In recent years, medical professionals have begun to utilize stem cells to determine if they are an effective treatment for people who suffer from celiac disease. Recent studies involving umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells have shown promising results that give hope to sufferers.
What are Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells?
Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, commonly referred to as UC-MSCs, are a type of multifunctional stem cell that is isolated from the cells in the umbilical cord. This type of stem cell is considered to be more ethical because the cells are collected from the umbilical cord and result in no loss of life.
UC-MSCs are particularly unique because they have the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types, including chondrocytes (cartilage cells), osteoblasts (bone cells), and adipocytes (fat cells). UC-MSCs also have anti-inflammatory properties, which are incredibly beneficial when it comes to treating inflammatory diseases and autoimmune diseases. The majority of these stem cells are isolated from Wharton’s jelly of the umbilical cord.
Over the past decade, we have seen many medical professionals utilize these stem cells in order to treat celiac disease. Some studies have been proven effective when it comes to reducing inflammation and helping to promote healing in the small intestine and the gut lining.
Using UC-MSCs to Treat Celiac Disease
Celiac disease itself is complex in nature and has various cascades of immunological pathways. As a result, treatments that are provided to patients to treat a single pathway or a factor of celiac disease often do not work. As a result, scientists have turned to the use of stem cell therapy that targets multiple pathways at once in order to treat the disease and help reduce the symptoms and the condition within patients.
Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into other cell types. This means that they have the potential to regenerate damaged tissue and help the body heal itself.
Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, in particular, are also unique due to the fact that they have anti-inflammatory properties. When it comes to celiac disease, the condition causes significant inflammation within the small intestine. UC-MSCs have shown promise in studies when it comes to treating celiac disease because they help to calm inflammation and help to repair the small intestine that is damaged by celiac disease. In some recent studies, stem cell therapy has been shown to improve the outcome of celiac disease by regenerating damaged cells in the small intestine and preventing the immune system from attacking those cells.
In 2014, a team of scientists utilized MSCs to treat gliadin-specific T-cell lines that were removed from patients who suffer from celiac disease. Particularly, allogeneic donors and mucosal specimens were removed and treated with the use of mesenchymal stem cells. The studies found that the use of MSCs resulted in increasing the apoptotic rate while limiting the expansion of short-term T-cell lines. MSCs were effective in inhibiting both proliferative response and IFN-y production of long-term T cell lines.
Studies also showed an increase of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity while significantly decreasing the interleukin (IL)-21, IFN-γ, and IL-10. This increase was paralleled by an upregulation of transforming growth factor-β1, IL-6, and IL-8.
The potent immunomodulant effects on the Gladding in specific T cells are incredibly promising when it comes to future therapeutic results in treating celiac disease with umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. However, more research is needed before we will know if UC-MSCs is an effective treatment for celiac disease in humans. However, this is a promising new treatment option for people with this chronic condition.
Considering stem cell therapy? Let Cellebration Wellness provide the expert guidance you need—contact us today at 1.800.601.8290!
