A cytokine test determines the types or concentrations of cytokine molecules in a biological sample. Cytokines are small proteins that act as signal carriers between cells. The test is used in research and treatment monitoring for diseases that involve cytokines. There are several types of cytokine tests, including variations of the enzyme immunosorbent assay.
A test can be any test designed to show the composition of a substance or the proportions of components within that substance. A cytokine test is a test to determine the types or concentrations of cytokine molecules in a particular biological sample. Cytokines are small proteins secreted by most cells in the body and act as signal carriers between cells. Some examples of cytokine categories are growth factors, which stimulate or inhibit cell growth; interleukins, which stimulate the body to produce T and B immune cells; and interferons, which interfere with virus replication along with other functions in the immune response. Many of these, such as interferons, were originally classified and named based on the first function they were found to have, but have since been found to have multiple roles in different parts of the body.
Most often, a cytokine assay is used in research as scientists work to understand how cells use cytokines to interact and communicate with each other. Treatment monitoring of patients with certain diseases that are marked by the presence of certain cytokines or require them to receive recombinant cytokine or anticytokine drugs is made much more accurate with the use of a cytokine test. In this case, tests could show whether a disease process was active, whether recombinant cytokines were biologically active, or whether treatment with certain drugs was effective. Some diseases that are already treated by regulating cytokine levels are rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and some forms of cancer. Other conditions, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are known or suspected to involve cytokines, and scientists have been working to develop treatment strategies.
There are several common types of cytokine tests, many of which are variations of the enzyme immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which works by attaching the cytokine receptor to a surface. The cytokine can bind with it, and another receptor tagged with a fluorescent dye or radioactive isotope binds with the cytokine. The secretion assay is comparable to ELISA, but uses a technique called fluorescence-activated cell sorting that results in the collection of living cells rather than a mixture of homogenized cell parts. Cells are tagged for sorting based on the type of cytokine they are secreting. Radioimmunotherapy assays, radioreceptor assays, reverse hemolytic plaque assays, cell blot assays, and kinase receptor activation assays can all function as one type of cytokine assay.
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