Description
Principle of the assay: This assay employs the competitive enzyme immunoassay technique. The microtiter plate provided in this kit has been pre-coated with goat-anti-rabbit antibody. Standards or samples are added to the appropriate microtiter plate wells with an antibody specific for TNF-alpha and Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) conjugated TNF-alpha. The competitive inhibition reaction is launched between with HRP labeled TNF-alpha and unlabeled TNF-alpha with the antibody. A substrate solution is added to the wells and the color develops in opposite to the amount of TNF-alpha in the sample. The color development is stopped and the intensity of the color is measured.
Background: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF, cachexin, or cachectin, and formerly known as tumor necrosis factor alpha or TNF-alpha) is an adipokine involved in systemic inflammation and is a member of a group of cytokines that stimulate the acute phase reaction. It is produced chiefly by activated macrophages, although it can be produced by many other cell types such as CD4+ lymphocytes, NK cells, neutrophils, mast cells, eosinophils, and neurons.The primary role of TNF is in the regulation of immune cells. TNF, being an endogenous pyrogen, is able to induce fever, apoptotic cell death, cachexia, inflammation and to inhibit tumorigenesis and viral replication and respond to sepsis via IL1 & IL6 producing cells. Dysregulation of TNF production has been implicated in a variety of human diseases including Alzheimer is disease, cancer, major depression and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While still controversial, studies of depression and IBD are currently being linked to TNF levels. Recombinant TNF is used as an immunostimulant under the INN tasonermin. TNF can be produced ectopically in the setting of malignancy and parallels parathyroid hormone both in causing secondary hypercalcemia and in the cancers with which excessive production is associated