Analisi delle citochine nella pratica clinica.

Cytochine’s assays in clinical practice. Cytokines are a family of molecules with a fundamental role in autocrine and paracrine signaling, indeed they are fundamental in local intercommunication between cells, but they can also play an endocrine action between different tissues. Cytokines are generally discussed in the contexts of nonspecific (innate) and specific (adaptive) immune responses and inflammatory responses, but they also coordinate other biological processes. The role of cytokines in human diseases is continuously being studied, their quantification has entered current use for the evaluation of inflammatory, infectious, and autoimmune diseases. The article discusses and compares the most common and most innovative methods for the quantification of cytokines in biological fluids