Abstract
ROLE OF PROBIOTICS IN CELIAC DISEASE

Celiac disease (CD) is a most common food allergy, seen in response to gluten ingestion in genetically predisposed individuals. It is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder of small intestine and characterized by varied gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms. Although, HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8 heterodimers are frequently associated with CD, the alterations in gut microbiota composition has been established as a major environmental factor by data analysis from several studies. To date, life-long gluten free diet (GFD) is a only reliable therapy for CD. With the deeper current knowledge regarding the association between intestinal dysbiosis and CD has shifted the attention towards the use of probiotics in the treatment of CD. The probiotic seems to be beneficial in reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, able to prevent gliadin-peptides entry into the cells, degradation of gluten and restoring the normal proportion of beneficial commensal microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract. Specific probiotic strains, such as Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus and VSL #3 showed the promising positive effects in several clinical studies. This review summarizes the current knowledge and recent advances in probiotic therapy of CD with the help of recent evidences from clinical studies.