Microfluidic immunosensor design for the quantification of interleukin-6 in human serum samples

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Immunosensing Technology
• Cytokine Detection

Background:

• Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a critical inflammatory cytokine involved in fever and acute phase responses.
• Accurate and rapid detection of IL-6 is essential for diagnosing and managing inflammatory conditions.
• Existing methods for IL-6 detection can be time-consuming and require large sample volumes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an integrated microfluidic immunosensor for sensitive electrochemical detection of IL-6.
• To assess the performance of the microfluidic immunosensor in terms of limit of detection (LOD) and reproducibility.
• To compare the developed immunosensor with traditional IL-6 sensing methods.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a microfluidic biochip with a sandwich immunoassay format employing anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibodies.
• Immobilized antibodies on a 3-aminopropyl-modified controlled-pore glass (APCPG) packet within the microfluidic system.
• Employed electrochemical detection of an enzymatic product (p-aminophenol) generated by alkaline phosphatase.

Main Results:

• Achieved a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.41 pg/mL for electrochemical detection of IL-6.
• Demonstrated high reproducibility with intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation below 6.5%.
• The microfluidic immunosensor required smaller sample volumes and offered faster detection compared to traditional methods.

Conclusions:

• The integrated microfluidic immunosensor provides a sensitive, reproducible, and rapid method for IL-6 detection in human serum.
• This technology holds promise for improved diagnostics of IL-6-related inflammatory diseases.
• The microfluidic platform offers advantages in sample volume reduction and assay speed.