QUANTITATIVE CELL-LINE BASED BIOASSAYS FOR HUMAN CYTOKINES

Research in cytokine biology is ever increasing and it is clear that c ytokines are involved in a wide range of pathological and physiologica l processes. The validity of such research relies heavily on the appro priate measurement of levels of cytokines in various biological sample s. Amongst the currently available methods for measuring cytokine leve ls, it is only the biological assay of samples that can directly provi de estimates of biologically active cytokines present in test samples. Of the several bioassay systems available for detecting cytokines, ce ll line based bioassays are the easiest to perform and provide the mos t precise and accurate data. The suitability of any cell line for bioa ssaying a particular cytokine depends on several criteria such as sens itivity, ease of growth maintenance, and cytokine specificity. The des ign and analysis of cell line bioassays is also important in providing valid estimates of cytokine levels. We review the most useful cell li nes currently available for bioassaying cytokines and discuss the desi gn advantages and limitations of cytokine bioassays.