Monitoring of cellular immune responses with an optical biosensor: a new tool to assess nanoparticle toxicity

Abstract An optical biosensor was developed to monitor the release of inflammatory cytokines by cells, aiming at the assessment of nanoparticle toxicity in vitro . Combined with optical detection, a label-free immunoassay allows quantifying the chemokine Interleukin 8 (IL-8) in cell culture medium, and discriminating between naive and stressed cells. Parallel detection of several cytokines involved in the inflammatory process provides a reliable analysis of the cellular immune response to stress caused by foreign agents like nanoparticles. Fluidic channels between the cell culture and the detection device leads to an integrated detection platform, allowing continuous monitoring of cellular events.