Fabiola Zambrano; Pamela Uribe; Mabel Schulz; Carlos Hermosilla; Anja Taubert & Raúl Sánchez

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are chromatin-based structures released during NETosis, a specialized form of neutrophil cell death with essential roles in host defense and pathogenesis. While NETs aid in trapping pathogens, their dysregulation contributes to autoimmune, inflammatory, and thrombotic disorders. Given their dual nature, the accurate detection of NETs is critical for both basic and clinical research. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current and emerging methodologies used to detect NET formation, ranging from traditional microscopy and fluorescent DNA dyes to advanced flow cytometry, omics technologies, and machine learning-assisted platforms. Microscopy-based methods offer visual confirmation but are labor-intensive, whereas flow cytometry and automated imaging enable high-throughput quantification. Omics approaches, including proteomics and transcriptomics, reveal molecular signatures and regulatory pathways of NETosis across disease contexts. Despite these advances, challenges remain regarding marker specificity, sample preparation artifacts, and the standardization of protocols. Future research should focus on integrating multi-modal techniques and establishing robust, validated detection strategies suitable for in vivo and clinical applications. This will be key for leveraging NETs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in infection, cancer, and immune-mediated diseases.

KEY WORDS: NETosis; Neutrophil extracellular traps; Detection methods.

ZAMBRANO,F.; URIBE,P.; SCHULZ, M.;HERMOSILLA, C.; TAUBERT, A. & SÁNCHEZ, R. Métodos para la detección de la formación de trampas extracelulares de neutrófilos: desde la microscopía hasta tecnologías de alto rendimiento. Int. J. Morphol., 43(4):1421-1428, 2025.