Cytokine profiling of umbilical cord blood plasma

Background Cytokines have been shown to be important signal molecules in the development of allergy and asthma, especially the regulatory cytokine IL-10, which has been shown to correlate with higher risk of allergy development in children [1]. Research results regarding cytokine levels in umbilical cord blood plasma vary greatly; some studies find the concentration of cytokines detectable whereas other studies do not. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if cytokines could be measured from cord blood plasma using IL-10 ELISAs and xMAP Luminex assay.