Invitrogen™ Human TNF alpha Instant ELISA™ Kit

Description

The Human Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (Hu TNFα) ELISA quantitates Hu TNFα in human serum, plasma, cell culture supernatants, amniotic fluid, synovial fluid, urine or other body fluids. The assay will exclusively recognize both natural and recombinant Hu TNFα. Principle of the method The Human TNFα solid-phase sandwich ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is designed to measure the amount of the target bound between a matched antibody pair. A target-specific antibody has been pre-coated in the wells of the supplied microplate. Samples or controls are then added into these wells and bind to the immobilized (capture) antibody. The sandwich is formed by the binding of the second (detector) antibody to the target on a different epitope from the capture antibody. An antibody conjugated with enzyme binds the formed sandwich. After incubation and washing steps to rid the microplate of unbound substances, a substrate solution is added that reacts with the enzyme-antibody-target complex to produce measurable signal. The intensity of this signal is directly proportional to the concentration of target present in the original specimen. Rigorous validation Each manufactured lot of this ELISA kit is quality tested for criteria such as sensitivity, specificity, precision, and lot-to-lot consistency. See manual for more information on validation.

TNF alpha is a multifunctional proinflammatory cytokine that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily. This cytokine is mainly secreted by macrophage and bind to its receptors, TNFRSF1A/TNFR1 and TNFRSF1B/TNFBR. TNF alpha is involved in the regulation of immune cells, cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, lipid metabolism, and coagulation. TNF alpha exists as a multimer of two, three, or five noncovalently linked units, but shows a single 17 kDa band following SDS-PAGE under non-reducing conditions. Knockout studies in mice also suggested the neuroprotective function of TNF alpha, and has been observed to causes tumor necrosis when injected into tumor-bearing mice. Other functions of TNF-alpha include its role in the immune response to bacterial, viral, parasitic and certain fungal infections, as well as its role in the necrosis of specific tumors. TNF alpha causes cytolysis or cytostasis of certain transformed cells, being synergistic with interferon-gamma in its cytotoxicity. This cytokine has been implicated in a variety of diseases, including autoimmune diseases, insulin resistance, and cancer.