Application of aptamers in the detection of key inflammatory cytokines / 中华检验医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Pro-inflammatory cytokines selectively induce specific signals to regulate host responses. Since the immunological imbalance caused by abnormal release of cytokines is involved in the development of many diseases, cytokine-specific detections are of great clinical significance for disease diagnosis and efficacy monitoring. Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acid sequences which can bind to the target with high selectivity and affinity. It has attracted much attention in the development of novel aptamers-based methods for the detection of specific biomarkers of inflammatory diseases. This paper reviewed recent advances in electrochemical and optical aptasensors for the detection of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, transforming growth factor-β, interferon-γ and interleukin-8. The findings offered valuable insights into the clinical application potential and challenges of nucleic acid aptamers in the detection of key inflammatory cytokines, providing a meaningful reference for the development of aptamer-based cytokines sensitive detection point-of-care testing equipment and novel diagnostic strategies for inflammatory disorders.