Neutrophil extracellular traps

Abstract

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are made of a network of extracellular strings of DNA that bind pathogenic microbes. Histones and several neutrophil granule proteins associated with the DNA framework damage entrapped microorganisms. Reactive oxygen species generated by the neutrophil NADPH oxidase have been shown to be essential to mediate NET release by several stimuli including numerous pathogenic bacteria. Although several methods have been used in the literature to detect NETs in vitro and in vivo, a consensus is urgently needed on the field to standardize the best NET-specific assays. In this chapter, two methods are described in details that can be used to detect NETs and to distinguish them from other mechanisms of neutrophil cell death. While NET-specific, these assays are also relatively simple and straightforward enabling their potential use by a wide audience.