Analysis of the released nuclear cytokine HMGB1 in human serum

A ubiquitous nuclear protein, the high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), is secreted by activated macrophages/monocytes and leaked passively from injured cells. HMGB1 functions as a mediator of infection- and injury-elicited inflammatory diseases. Here, we describe a semiquantitative immuno-blotting method to measure the released HMGB1 in human serum, in comparison with a commercially available HMGB1 ELISA technique