Enzyme-catalyzed silver deposition on irregular-shaped gold nanoparticles for electrochemical immunoassay of alpha-fetoprotein

A new and disposable electrochemical immunosensor was designed for detection of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), as a model analyte, with sensitivity enhancement based on enzyme-catalyzed silver deposition onto irregular-shaped gold nanoparticles (ISGNPs). The assay was carried out with a sandwich-type immunoassay protocol by using ISGNP-labeled anti-AFP antibodies conjugated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP–Ab₂) as detection antibodies. The enzymatically catalytic deposition of silver on the electrode could be measured by stripping analysis in KCl solution due to the Ag/AgCl solid-state voltammetric process. Several labeling protocols including spherical gold nanoparticle-labeled ALP–Ab₂ and ISGNP-labeled ALP–Ab₂ were investigated for determination of AFP, and improved analytical properties were achieved with the ISGNP labeling. With the ISGNP labeling method, the effects of incubation time and incubation temperature for antigen-antibody reaction, and deposition time of silver on the current responses of the electrochemical immunosensors were also monitored. Under optimal conditions, the electrochemical immunosensor exhibited a wide dynamic range from 0.01 ng mL⁻¹ to 200 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 5.0 pg mL⁻¹ AFP. The immunosensor displayed a good stability and acceptable reproducibility and accuracy. No significant differences at the 95% confidence level were encountered in the analysis of 10 clinical serum samples between the developed immunoassay and the commercially available electrochemiluminescent method for determination of AFP.     

吡虫啉的酶联免疫吸附分析方法研究

通过碳二亚胺法将吡虫啉交联于牛血清蛋白(BSA)作为免疫抗原,混合酸酐法将吡虫啉交联于卵清蛋白(OVA)作为包被抗原,免疫Balb/c小鼠,采用B细胞杂交瘤技术,经免疫、融合、筛选、克隆,得到抗吡虫啉单克隆抗体,抗体亚类为IgG1,制备的单克隆抗体效价达1×107,确定了吡虫啉酶联免疫吸附分析方法(ELISA)的最佳工作条件,建立了定量测定吡虫啉的间接竞争ELISA方法。本方法的IC50为(15.12±1.28)μg/L,检出限为(1.76±0.02)μg/L。与其它吡虫啉结构类似物无交叉反应。批内相对标准偏差为4.5%;批间相对标准偏差5.1%,饮用水、重庆理工大学地下水和重庆市花溪河地表水平均添加回收率分别为102%,97%和85%。本研究建立了一种快速检测环境水中吡虫啉残留的方法。     

氟甲喹单克隆抗体制备、鉴定及间接竞争酶联免疫吸附分析法

以氟甲喹(FLU)为原料,合成4个碳原子手臂的半抗原(FLUABA),采用活泼酯法与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)偶联制备免疫抗原,通过免疫Balb/c小鼠及细胞融合,获得1株稳定分泌抗氟甲喹单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株DB6-E7,其抗体亚类为IgG1,亲和力常数(KA)为8.19×108L/mol。将氟甲喹、FLUABA及6个碳原子手臂的半抗原FLUACA分别与卵清白蛋白(OVA)偶联作为包被抗原,研究异源包被对间接竞争ELISA灵敏度的影响。结果表明,异源包被可显著提高ELISA方法的灵敏度。基于最佳异源包被(FLU-OVA)的酶联免疫吸附分析法的IC50为26.33μg/L,检出限为4μg/L,定量检测范围为8.0～114μg/L(IC20～IC80)。与喹诺酮类药物及结构类似物几乎不存在交叉反应,特异性高。此方法可满足畜禽产品中氟甲喹残留的快速筛查。     

噻虫嗪单克隆抗体制备及酶联免疫吸附分析方法的建立

通过化学修饰合成了噻虫嗪人工半抗原,采用碳二亚胺法将该半抗原与牛血清蛋白(BSA)和卵清蛋白(OVA)偶联,成功制备了分子结合比合理的免疫原和包被原。经过免疫原免疫6周龄Balb/c小鼠、PEG介导免疫鼠脾细胞和骨髓瘤细胞的融合和阳性杂交瘤细胞的筛选和克隆化,获得了效价高达1∶6.4×105的抗噻虫嗪单克隆抗体,抗体亚类为IgG1型。优化了ELISA实验条件,建立了基于单克隆抗体技术的噻虫嗪残留间接竞争ELISA方法。本方法的抑制中浓度(IC50)为0.0255mg/L,检测灵敏度(IC20)为0.0022mg/L,检出限(IC10)为0.001mg/L。除噻虫胺外,该抗体与其它噻虫嗪结构类似物无交叉反应。以自来水为基质的噻虫嗪添加回收实验显示,0.01,0.5和10.0mg/L添加水平的回收率均大于75%,且各添加水平重复测定8次的相对标准偏差均小于8%,说明所建立的间接竞争ELISA准确度高,重复性好,适合水中噻虫嗪残留的检测。     

Simultaneous electrochemical immunosensing of alpha-fetoprotein and prostate specific antigen using a glassy carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticle-coated silica nanospheres and decorated with Azure A or ferrocenecarboxylic acid

We describe an electrochemical immunosensor for the simultaneous determination of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) via a modified glassy carbon electrode. Silica nanoparticles (200–300 nm i.d.) with good monodispersity and uniform shape were synthesized, and the following species were then consecutively immobilized on their surface: gold nanoparticles (AuNPs; 5–15 nm i.d.), secondary antibody (Ab₂) and the redox-probes Azure A or ferrocenecarboxy acid (Fc). In parallel, two types of primary antibodies (Ab₁) were co-immobilized on the surface of the dissolved reduced graphene oxide sheets (rGO) that were also decorated with AuNPs. In the presence of antigens (AFP or PSA), the Ab₂/Si@AuNPs carrying Azure A and Fc are attached to the AuNP/rGO conjugate via a sandwich type immunoreaction. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was employed to measure the resulting changes in the signal of Fc or Azure A. Two well-resolved oxidation peaks, one at −0.48 V (corresponding to Azure A) and other at + 0.12 V (corresponding to Fc; both vs. SCE) can be observed in the DPV curves. Under optimal conditions, AFP and PSA can be simultaneously determined in the range from 0.01 to 25 ng mL‾¹ for AFP, and from 0.012 to 25 ng mL‾¹ for PSA. The detection limits are 3.3 pg mL‾¹ for AFP and 4.0 pg mL‾¹ for PSA (at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3). The method was applied to (spiked) real sample analysis, and the recoveries are within 96.0 and 107.2 % for PSA, and within 100.9 and 105.8 % for AFP, indicating that this dual immunosensor matches the requirements of clinical analysis.

(A) Two types of signal labels preparation process. (B) The immunosensor preparation and detection process.

     

Generation of a Novel High-Affinity Monoclonal Antibody with Conformational Recognition Epitope on Human IgM

As IgM is the first isotype of antibody which appears in blood after initial exposure to a foreign antigen in the pattern of primary response, detection, and quantification of this molecule in blood seems invaluable. To approach these goals, generation, and characterization of a highly specific mAb (monoclonal antibody) against human IgM were investigated. Human IgM immunoglobulins were used to immunize Balb/c mice. Spleen cells taken from the immunized animals were fused with SP2/O myeloma cells using PEG (polyethylene glycol, MW 1450) as fusogen. The hybridomas were cultured in HAT containing medium and supernatants from the growing hybrids were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using plates coated with pure human IgM and the positive wells were then cloned at limiting dilutions. The best clone designated as MAN-1, was injected intraperitoneally to some Pristane-injected mice. Anti-IgM mAb was purified from the animals’ ascitic fluid by protein-G sepharose followed by DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. MAN-1 interacted with human IgM with a very high specificity and affinity. The purity of the sample was tested by SDS-PAGE and the affinity constant was measured ( K_\texta = \text3.\text5 ×\text10^\text9\textM^{\text - 1} ) \left( {{K_{\text{a}}} = {\text{3}}.{\text{5}} \times {\text{1}}{0^{\text{9}}}{{\text{M}}^{{\text{ - 1}}}}} \right) . Immunoblotting and competitive ELISA were done and the results showed that the harvested antibody recognizes a conformational epitope on the μ chain of human IgM and there was no cross-reactivity with other subclasses of immunoglobulins. Furthermore, isotyping test was done and the results showed the subclass of the obtained mAb which was IgG₁κ.     

An Enzyme Immunoassay for the Determination of Methabenzthiazuron

Abstract

A sensitive enzyme immunoassay is described for the determination of the urea herbicide methabenzthiazuron. The assay is carried out with polyclonal antibodies, which were raised in rabbits by immunization with a methabenzthiazuron-BSA conjugate containing five methabenzthiazuron residues per molecule. The ELISA was optimized on microtiter plates with a peroxidase-methabenzthiazuron tracer. The middle of the test (50% B/B₀) was found at 1.0 μg/l. The lower detection limit of methabenzthiazuron is c. 0.05 μg/l. Samples can be measured up to 10 μg/l methabenzthiazuron (upper detection limit). The assay does not require concentration or clean-up steps for drinking or ground water samples. Validation experiments showed a good accuracy and precision. Work with monoclonal antibodies is in progress.     

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Hyodeoxycholic Acid in Pharmaceutical Products Using a Monoclonal Antibody

Herein is reported an immunochemical approach to determine hyodeoxycholic acid using hybridoma-secreting monoclonal antibodies. The hyodeoxycholic acid-specific antibody was produced by fusing splenocytes immunized with a hyodeoxycholic acid-bovine serum albumin conjugate with a hypoxanthine–aminopterin–thymidine-sensitive mouse myeloma cell line (SP2/0). The antibody was highly specific for hyodeoxycholic acid, with less than 0.05 percent cross-reactivity to over fifty structurally related compounds. The antihyodeoxycholic acid monoclonal antibody was then used to develop a rapid, specific, and sensitive indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) for the determination of hyodeoxycholic acid in pharmaceutical compounds. The linear dynamic range was from 0.48 to 62.5 nanograms per milliliter with an IC₅₀ value of 8 nanograms per milliliter. The icELISA results correlated well with a conventional high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of hyodeoxycholic acid (R² = 0.9982). This study shows that the icELISA method was successfully applied to the quantification of hyodeoxycholic acid in pharmaceutical products.     

直接竞争荧光免疫法测定中药材中的黄曲霉毒素B1

本文采用Mannich反应合成黄曲霉毒素B1(AFB1)人工抗原,免疫小鼠制备AFB1单克隆抗体。采用直接搅拌法将异硫氰酸荧光素(FITC)标记AFB1抗体,经Sephadex-50凝胶柱纯化,制得FITC-AFB1荧光标记抗体,分析其免疫学特性,从而建立了一种快速灵敏的直接竞争荧光免疫分析方法(FIA)以用于检测中药材中的AFB1含量。结果表明,AFB1-FITC标记抗体的结合比率为4.19。通过对检测体系多项影响因素的筛选优化,FIA检测方法的标准曲线方程为I=33.45 log C+25.55,R=0.9913,线性检测范围1~100 ng/m L,检测限0.69ng/m L,回收率90.4%~106.6%。该方法具有操作简单、快速灵敏、特异性高等特点,可用于中药材中AFB1的分析测定。     

Production and quality control of [<Superscript>166</Superscript>Ho]-DOTA-bevacizumab for therapeutic applications

Antiangiogenic monoclonal antibodies in combination with therapeutic radionuclides are potential targeted therapy agents in cancer. In this study, bevacizumab was successively labeled with [¹⁶⁶Ho]HoCl₃ after conjugation with DOTA-NHS-ester with a radiochemical purity of higher than 95% (RTLC). The conjugates were purified by molecular filtration, the average number of DOTA conjugated per mAb was calculated and total concentration was determined by spectrophotometric method and the average chelate to antibody ratio (c/a) for the conjugate used in this study was 5.8:1 and protein integrity experiments (SDS-PAGE). The biodistribution studies in wild-type rats demonstrate a similar pattern to the other radiolabeled anti-vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) immunoconjugates. ¹⁶⁶Ho-DOTA-bevacizumab is a potential compound for therapy/imaging of VEGF-A expression in oncology.     

Production and evaluation of second antibody for radioimmunoassay technique

Polyclonal antibody production in mammals is generally associated with multiple injections of antigens and adjuvant and repeated blood sampling procedures. In the production of second polyclonal antibodies, a number of critical steps can be identified that may influence the outcome of the animal experiment (immunological results and the pain and suffering of the animals). The goal of this work was to evaluate critical steps in the production of these antibodies, and to optimize production protocols that will ultimately result in effective antibody responses. This work was achieved through immunization of two healthy sheep by purified Alpha feto protein (AFP) antigen. Also, the present study involved the preparation of AFP standards from human cord blood. Furthermore, preparation of a radiolabeled AFP tracer of a high specific activity using ¹²⁵I isotope by chloramine T method was undertaken. Moreover, this study provides that there was no observable difference between the Scottish Antibody Production Unit (SAPU) and Sigma SAM IgG and the two second antibodies obtained from the local sheep sera.     

Antibody-invertase Cross-linkage Nanoparticles: A New Signal Tag for Point-of-Care Immunoassay of Alpha-fetoprotein for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Personal Glucometer

Methods based on immunoassays have been developed for cancer biomarker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), but most involve complicated or stripping procedures and are unfavourable for routine use. Herein we report the proof-of-concept of simple and point-of-care (POC) immunoassay for AFP in hepatocellular carcinoma on a portable personal glucometer (PGM) by using antibody-invertase cross-linkage nanoparticles as the signal-generation tags. Antibody-invertase cross-linkage nano tags were synthesized by using reverse micellar method with glutaraldehyde. The POC immunoassay was carried out on monoclonal anti-AFP capture antibody-coated microplate with a sandwich-type reaction mode. Introduction of invertase nano labels accompanying target AFP could hydrolyse sucrose into glucose and fructose. The produced glucose molecules could be determined on a portable personal glucometer. Relative to unimolecular invertase labelling, improved analytical features were acquired with antibody-invertase nano labelling. With the nano labels, PGM-based immunoassay exhibited good electrochemical responses for the detection of AFP, and allowed detection of AFP at a concentration as low as 5.4 pg mL⁻¹. Moreover, a good repeatability and intermediate precision could be found down to 12.68 %. Good well-matched results were obtained for analysis of human serum specimens between POC immunoassay and commercial human AFP ELISA kit.     

Qualification and application of a liquid chromatography–quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometric method for the determination of trastuzumab in rat plasma

An liquid chromatography–quadrupole time‐of‐flight (QqTOF) mass spectrometric method was developed for the determination of humanized or human monoclonal antibodies in rat plasma at the early drug discovery stage. Trastuzumab was used as a model monoclonal antibody. The method consisted of immunoprecipitation followed by tryptic digestion for sample preparation and LC‐TOF‐MS/MS analysis of specific signature peptides in the positive ion mode using electrospray ionization for analysis. A stable isotope‐labeled signature peptide was also used as internal standard. A quadratic regression (weighted 1/concentration²), with an equation y = ax² + bx + c, was used to fit calibration curves over the concentration range of 0.500–100 µg/mL for trastuzumab. Samples from a pharmacokinetic study in rat were analyzed by this qualified LC‐TOF‐MS/MS method and concentrations were compared with those generated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays method. The LC‐TOF‐MS/MS method was accurate and precise, with quantitative results comparable with those of ELISA. The qualification run met the acceptance criteria of ±25% accuracy and precision values for quality control samples. Within‐run accuracy ranged from 1.53 to 9.20% with precision values ≤10.29%. This LC‐TOF‐MS/MS method approach could be used as a complementary method for humanized or human monoclonal antibodies at the early drug discovery stage. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gold immunochromatographic strips for enhanced detection of Avian influenza and Newcastle disease viruses

A new technique that uses gold immunochromatographic strips enhances the detection sensitivity by inducing the clustering of additional gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) around the immunogold particles immobilized on nitrocellulose strips. The additional AuNPs provide an intense signal that can be detected by the naked eye. The AuNPs were synthesized and conjugated to monoclonal antibodies using self-assembly. Other antibodies were immobilized in a defined detection zone on the nitrocellulose membrane. The detection principle is based on a “sandwich” immunoreaction, where gold-labeled antibodies serve as signal vehicles. To improve the sensitivity of the strips, we use a mixture of 1% HAuCl₄ and 10 mmol L⁻¹ NH₂OH·HCl to “enlarge” the gold nanoparticles. The detecting limits of Avian influenza virus (AIV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) are significantly increased. Compared with commercial test strips, this method is 100-fold more sensitive. This method is easy to perform and can be carried out on-site in test laboratories.     

<Superscript>68</Superscript>Ga-radiolabeled magnetic nanoparticles for PET–MRI imaging

In this study, magnetic multimodal nanoparticles with potential applications in magnetic- and nuclear-medicine imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, hyperthermia, and theranostic (therapeutic and diagnostic), applications were prepared by coating iron oxide nanoparticles with silica (core–shell), functionalizing with aminopropyltriethoxy silane and coupling with diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid ligand (DTPA). Radiolabeling of core–shell–DTPA particles with ⁶⁸Ga radiometal was carried out through chelation of ⁶⁸Ga(III) ions by DTPA and was used for positron emission tomography. The biodistribution of the ⁶⁸Ga-radiolabeled magnetic nanoparticles compared to free ⁶⁸Ga(III) was checked in normal Balb/c mice up to 2 h.     

Monoclonal antibody based electrochemical immunosensor for the determination of ochratoxin A in wheat

Competitive electrochemical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays based on disposable screen-printed electrodes have been developed for quantitative determination of ochratoxin A (OTA). The assays were carried out using monoclonal antibodies in the direct and indirect format. OTA working range, I₅₀ and detection limits were 0.05-2.5 and 0.1-7.5 μg L⁻¹, 0.35 (±0.04) μg L⁻¹ and 0.9 (±0.1) μg L⁻¹, 60 and 100 μg L⁻¹ in the direct and indirect assay format, respectively. The immunosensor in the direct format was selected for the determination of OTA in wheat. Samples were extracted with aqueous acetonitrile and the extract analyzed directly by the assay without clean-up. The I₅₀ in real samples was 0.2 μg L⁻¹ corresponding to 1.6 μg/kg in the wheat sample with a detection limit of 0.4 μg/kg (calculated as blank signal −3σ). Within- and between-assay variability were less than 5 and 10%, respectively. A good correlation (r = 0.9992) was found by comparative analysis of naturally contaminated wheat samples using this assay and an HPLC/immunoaffinity clean-up method based on the AOAC Official Method 2000.03 for the determination of OTA in barley.     

Tritium Labelling of Cyprodime ( = (—)-17-(Cyclopropylmethyl)-4,14-dimethoxymorphinan-6-one), a μ Receptor-Selective Opioid Antagonist

The preparation of [1-³H]cyprodime ( 2 ), which has a specific activity of 31.6 Ci/mmol was carried out by catalytic tritiodehalogenation of 1-bromocyprodime ( 3 ). Bromination of cyprodime was performed by using chloroperoxidase, KBr, and H₂O₂.     

Monoclonal antibody to 2-amino-3-methylimidazo(4,5-F)quinoline,a dietary carcinogen

In order to investigate relationships between human carcinogenesis and dietary carcinogens, one hybridoma cell line secreting a monoclonal antibody against 2-amino-3-methylimidazo(4,5-f)quinoline (IQ), a dietary carcinogen, was produced by fusing splenocytes from Balb/c mice immunized with IQ-Lysine(Lys)-Ascaris protein conjugate. The subclass of monoclonal anti-IQ antibody was determined by double immunodiffusion using culture medium and identified as IgG1. Monoclonal anti-IQ antibody was purified from ascites fluids of Balb/c mice with affinity chromatography on Protein A-Sepharose CL4B and analyzed concerning its cross-reactivity and sensitivity with RIA. Finally, we showed that our monoclonal antibody recognized IQ, 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo(4,5-f)quinoline (MeIQ) and several beta-carbolines more intensely and that the sensitivity to IQ was 23 nmol in 50% displacement.     

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibody for class-specific determination of O,O-dimethyl organophosphorus pesticides and effect of heterologous coating antigens on immunoassay sensitivity

A generic hapten (H1), 3-(4-Dimethoxyphosphorothioyloxy phenyl)propanoic acid, was synthesized to produce monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) in a class-specific manner. Six heterologous haptens were designed to study the effect of hapten heterology on immunoassay sensitivity. Several mice were immunized with this H1-BSA immunogen. Spleen cells of two immunized mice were fused with myeloma cells, and the resulting hybridomas were screened using H1-OVA. In a competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format, three hybridoma cell lines (B4-C6, D12-B5, E5-H2) that produced mAbs with high selectivity and broad specificity were selected and expanded. The monoclonal antibody D12-B5 with higher titer was chosen for further study. In heterologous assay, the combination of D12-B5 and coating antigen H7-OVA constituted a particularly sensitive assay for competitive indirect ELISA and showed broad specificity for the determination of OPs, including parathion-methyl, chlorpyrifos-methyl, tolclofos-methyl, fenthion, malathion, fenitrothion. This combination resulted in the IC₅₀ of 0.58-10.47 µg/ml.     

Prospective study of a Bothrops jararacussu venom batch (Bj2015) – phospholipase A2 activity,immunogenicity, neurotoxicity,and myotoxicity parameters

Bothrops jararacussu venom’s (Bj2015) batch was biomonitored quarterly for one year to assess phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) activity, immunogenicity, neurotoxicity, and myotoxicity. In silico models were applied to evaluate losses using decay model and recoveries by predictive trend analysis. Mice were immunized with Bj2015. Antibodies were detected by double-immunodiffusion and total protein and albumin were measured. Neuromuscular blockade-induced by 40 μg mL^?1 venom solution was carried out using mouse nerve phrenic-diaphragm preparation. Resulting muscles were submitted to light microscopy to evaluate the myotoxicity. PLA₂ activity of 0.1 mg mL^?1 Bj2015 was measured using 4-nitro-3-(octanoyloxy)benzoic acid as substrate. Over time, greater losses occurred in neurotoxicity than PLA₂, but not in myotoxicity and immunogenicity. Concluding, the neurotoxicity decrease can be related to enzymatic losses, including PLA₂. Depending on the purpose of use, the collected venom responds on a long time, avoiding unnecessary new collections, improving life quality of animals in captivity and increasing their longevity.