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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Multiplex Cytokine Profiling of Stimulated Mouse Splenocytes Using a Cytometric Bead-based Immunoassay Platform
Published on: November 9, 2017
Cytokine quantitation: technologies and applications
Naresh Sachdeva1, Deshratn Asthana
1Laboratory for Clinical and Biological Studies, University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.
Insights
Cytokine assays are crucial for understanding diseases and developing treatments. Multiplex platforms are increasingly replacing single-cytokine methods for more comprehensive biological sample analysis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Biotechnology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cytokine assessment in biological samples is vital for disease process understanding and treatment strategy development.
- Diverse cytokine assay technologies exist, measuring cytokine levels, receptor levels, cellular production, and tissue presence.
- Current understanding emphasizes the benefit of simultaneous multi-cytokine assessment over single-cytokine analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current cytokine assay methodologies.
- To highlight the shift towards multiplex cytokine detection technologies.
- To underscore the importance of comprehensive cytokine profiling.
Main Methods:
- Review of various cytokine detection techniques including immunoassays, bioassays, flow cytometry, mRNA-based assays, Enzyme-linked Immunospot (ELISPOT), Intra-cytoplasmic cytokine staining (ICC), and immunostaining.
- Discussion of the evolution from single-analyte to multiplex platforms like DNA and protein microarrays.
Main Results:
- A wide array of methods are available for cytokine assessment across different biological matrices.
- Multiplex platforms offer a more comprehensive analysis by measuring multiple cytokines simultaneously.
- Single-cytokine assays are being progressively superseded by advanced multiplex technologies.
Conclusions:
- Simultaneous assessment of multiple cytokines provides richer insights into biological systems compared to single-cytokine measurements.
- Multiplex cytokine assay formats represent the future of cytokine analysis, offering enhanced diagnostic and therapeutic potential.
- The advancement in cytokine detection technologies facilitates a deeper understanding of complex biological interactions.
Abstract:
Assessment of cytokines in body fluids, cells or tissues provides important information in understanding of disease process and designing treatment strategies. Today, wide range of cytokine assays are available, including; measurement of levels of cytokines (direct) or cytokine soluble receptor levels (indirect) in body fluids or cellular supernatants (immunoassays and cytokine bioassays), measurement of cytokines produced by population of cells (multiparametric flow cytometry, magnetic beads based quantitation of cytokine producing cells, mRNA based assays), measurement of cytokines produced by single cells (Enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT), Intra-cytoplasmic cytokine staining (ICC), mRNA based assays) and detection of cytokines in tissues (immunostaining). Improved understanding of cytokine interactions has led to a consensus that simultaneous assessment of many cytokines in a biological sample provides more comprehensive information rather than assessing a single cytokine. Thus, technologies that measure one cytokine at a time are being gradually replaced by multiplex-type formats (DNA and protein microarrays).
