Resumen de Mechanims of intestinal tolerance to dietary proteins

David Bernardo Ordiz, Stella C. Knight

• Oral tolerance is defined as the lack of a systemic immune responseagainst antigens previously administered through the gastrointestinaltract. Therefore, in an antigen rich environment such as the intestine,the oral tolerance avoids the development of immune responses againstfood antigens and the commensal microbiota maintaining immunehomeostasis in health. Nevertheless, in some circumstances the immunesystem fails to develop and/or maintain immune tolerance, triggeringan abnormal immune response against the commensals, which occursin inflammatory bowel diseases and/or against food antigens as evidentin celiac disease. In this chapter, we will discuss the unique propertiesof the immune system in the gastrointestinal tract and study howdendritic cells, the most potent antigen presenting cells, controlmechanisms of immune homeostasis in the intestine.