Wertigkeit von A1- und A2-Antikörpern gegen ß-Casein beim Typ 1-Diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Association of ß-casein A1 antibodies in IDDM

Purpose: Various components of cow's milk have been investigated as a possible environmental factor in the pathogenesis of type I diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Studies in animal models show that NOD Mice do not develop IDDM when fed on a casein-free diet. There have been no major studies thus far on the milk protein casein to evaluate etiology, prevalence and pathogenesis of IDDM. In this prospective clinical family study, for the first time, antibodies against the most common genetic variants of ß-casein have been detected in such a large sample.
Methods: Altogether, sera of 1257 persons (287 type 1 diabetics, 386 siblings, 477 parents and 107 healthy controls) were studied for ß-casein A1- and A2-antibodies. Investigations were carried out by a self-developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results: Antibodies to both genetic variants of ß-casein were found most frequently in diabetics. For all four groups high titers of casein A1 and A2 antibodies were strictly correlated with low age which was statistically significant (p<0.001). A qualitative comparison of ß-casein A1 and A2 antibodies showed more casein A1 antibodies in diabetics and their siblings whereas in parents and controls more casein A2 antibodies were found. The preferential binding of the sera to the one or the other variant of ß-casein was statistically significant (p<0.001) in all four groups.
Conclusion: In summary, the A1 variant of ß-casein might be associated with IDDM. On the other hand, the A2-variant might more likely play a protective role. We could show that ß-casein A1 might be a possible potential antigen in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Further investigations are necessary to confirm the role of ß-casein A1 in the pathogenesis of IDDM.

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