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. 2012 Nov-Dec;24(6):863-5.
doi: 10.1002/ajhb.22324. Epub 2012 Oct 5.

A highly sensitive immunoassay for interleukin-6 in dried blood spots

Elizabeth M Miller  1 , Thomas W McDade
Affiliations

A highly sensitive immunoassay for interleukin-6 in dried blood spots

Elizabeth M Miller et al. Am J Hum Biol. 2012 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is associated with the production of C-reactive protein, the acute phase response, and chronic low-grade inflammation. In this report, we describe and validate a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantifying IL-6 at low concentrations in samples of capillary whole blood collected from a simple finger stick and dried on filter paper (dried blood spots, DBS).

Methods: A commercially available ELISA for IL-6 was modified to develop a protocol for the quantification of IL-6 in DBS samples. Procedures for sample elution and incubation were optimized for precision, reliability, accuracy, and lower limit of detection using small volumes of DBS. A set of 46 matched serum/DBS samples were used to evaluate agreement between serum and DBS results.

Results: The protocol demonstrated acceptable levels of precision, reliability, accuracy, and agreement with serum-based results. The lower limit of detection was sufficiently low to measure levels of IL-6 associated with both chronic, low-grade inflammation, and acute increases in inflammatory activity.

Conclusions: This protocol adds to the growing panel of analytes validated for quantification in DBS samples and should facilitate future research on the causes and consequences of inflammation in diverse non-clinical settings.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Passing-Bablok regression of matched serum and dried blood spot samples assayed for IL-6 (n = 46). Dotted lines represent 95% confidence intervals.
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