Macrophage TNF alpha ELISA Kit, Colorimetric (MTS-1123-HM61)

Yes-colorimetric ELISAs are commonly chosen for screening because the readout is robust and easy to implement on standard plate readers. For macrophage activation studies (e.g., LPS or cytokine stimulation), TNF-α is often a strong dynamic marker. We recommend including a standard curve on every plate, using technical duplicates, and keeping incubation timing consistent to maintain plate-to-plate comparability.

In macrophage-focused projects, cell culture supernatant is typically the most straightforward matrix because it's cleaner and easier to dilute into the recommended range. Serum and tissue homogenates can work, but they often introduce more background and may require additional dilution or clarification. If you plan to compare across matrices, we suggest running matrix-matched controls or spike-and-recovery checks to confirm that the sample environment isn't skewing your signal.

Elevated background often comes from insufficient washing, incomplete blocking, or sample matrix effects. Improve wash stringency (more cycles, proper soak time, avoid touching the well bottom), confirm your wash buffer is fresh, and ensure uniform plate sealing during incubations to prevent edge effects. If samples are complex, dilute them more and rely on the standard curve to back-calculate concentrations. Running blank wells and secondary-only controls can pinpoint the source.