An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for aconitine-type alkaloids using an anti-aconitine monoclonal antibody

3-Succinylaconitine was conjugated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) for use as an immunogen for the preparation of a monoclonal antibody (MAb) against aconitine (Aco). Splenocytes from mice immunized with the Aco-BSA conjugate were fused with an aminopterin-sensitive mouse myeloma cell line, P3-X63-Ag8-653, and a hybridoma secreting a MAb against Aco was successfully obtained. The MAb cross-reacted with mesaconitine, hypaconitine and jesaconitine, which are Aco-type alkaloids, but not with any other compounds examined. The full measurement range of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) developed using the new MAb extended from 100 ng mL⁻¹ to 1.5 μg mL⁻¹ of Aco. The concentrations of Aco-type alkaloids in various Aconiti radixes assayed using the new ELISA method showed good agreement with previous reports.     

Application of a modified enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone residue in aquatic animals

Furazolidone has been banned from use in food animals because of its carcinogenicity and mutagenicity, but its continued misuse is widespread in aquacultures. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a simple, reliable, and rapid method for the detection of its marker residue, 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ), in aquatic products. In this regard, we modified a simplified indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) to address this need. A good linearity was achieved over a concentration range of 0.05-12.15 μg L⁻¹, and the IC₅₀ value was 0.96 μg L⁻¹. The sample preparation was simple and effective included water bath treatments, acid hydrolysis combined with overnight derivatization of AOZ by benzaldehyde. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification were 0.15 and 0.3 μg kg⁻¹. The recoveries of AOZ in all tissues were between 78.0-95.3% at the levels of 0.3, 1.0, and 2.0 μg kg⁻¹. The inter-assay variability was less than 19.1%. The modified ic-ELISA was applied in quantification of AOZ elimination in carp. The results showed that AOZ was quite difficult to eliminate. Good correlations of the results obtained by ELISA and LC-MS/MS were observed in incurred carp muscle (r = 0.9923) and carp plasma (r = 0.9915) at the levels of 2.5-571.8 μg kg⁻¹ (μg L⁻¹). Better results were obtained by modified ic-ELISA when compared with commercial ELISA kit. Therefore, the present assay is considered a rapid, accurate, reliable, and inexpensive method for the detection of furazolidone-residues in the edible tissues of aquatic animals.     

Development and evaluation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method for the measurement of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in human urine

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was developed to quantitatively measure 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) in human urine. Samples were diluted (1:5) with phosphate-buffered saline containing 0.05% Tween and 0.02% sodium azide, with analysis by a 96-microwell plate immunoassay format. No clean up was required as dilution step minimized sample interferences. Fifty urine samples were received without identifiers from a subset of pesticide applicators and their spouses in an EPA pesticide exposure study (PES) and analyzed by the ELISA method and a conventional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) procedure. For the GC/MS analysis, urine samples were extracted with acidic dichloromethane (DCM); methylated by diazomethane and fractionated by a Florisil solid phase extraction (SPE) column prior to GC/MS detection. The percent relative standard deviation (%R.S.D.) of the 96-microwell plate triplicate assays ranged from 1.2 to 22% for the urine samples. Day-to-day variation of the assay results was within ±20%. Quantitative recoveries (>70%) of 2,4-D were obtained for the spiked urine samples by the ELISA method. Quantitative recoveries (>80%) of 2,4-D were also obtained for these samples by the GC/MS procedure. The overall method precision of these samples was within ±20% for both the ELISA and GC/MS methods. The estimated quantification limit for 2,4-D in urine was 30 ng/mL by ELISA and 0.2 ng/mL by GC/MS. A higher quantification limit for the ELISA method is partly due to the requirement of a 1:5 dilution to remove the urine sample matrix effect. The GC/MS method can accommodate a 10:1 concentration factor (10 mL of urine converted into 1 mL organic solvent for analysis) but requires extraction, methylation and clean up on a solid phase column. The immunoassay and GC/MS data were highly correlated, with a correlation coefficient of 0.94 and a slope of 1.00. Favorable results between the two methods were achieved despite the vast differences in sample preparation. Results indicated that the ELISA method could be used as a high throughput, quantitative monitoring tool for human urine samples to identify individuals with exposure to 2,4-D above the typical background levels.     

Detection of domoic acid in rat serum and brain by direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA)

In 1987 a large-scale incident of human poisoning in Canada was traced to commercial mussels contaminated with domoic acid (DOM). Since then, routine screening of shellfish domoic acid content has been carried out using a variety of assays, with liquid chromatography using ultraviolet absorbance detection (LC–UV) or mass spectrometric detection (LC–MS) being the currently accepted standard methodologies. Recently, a highly specific competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) has been developed for the detection and analysis of DOM in commercial shellfish, but its accuracy relative to LC methods has not been independently verified in mammalian tissues. In this study we demonstrate that measurement of rat serum DOM concentration by cELISA gives a good correlation (r ²=0.993) across a broad range of concentrations when compared to LC–MS analysis, with only a small (15%) overestimation of sample DOM content. In addition, we have developed an extraction method for analysis of DOM in rat brain by cELISA which yields complete recovery across a range of sample dilutions.     

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for metolcarb residue analysis and investigation of matrix effects from different agricultural products

The development of a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on polyclonal antibodies for N-methylcarbamate insecticide metolcarb is described. Two new haptens for the metolcarb were designed and synthesized. Both haptens were conjugated with keyhole limpet hemocyanin to form the immunogens. Four rabbits were immunized with the immunogens for production of polyclonal antibodies against metolcarb. Antisera titers were tested on the homologous coating antigens using a noncompetitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The high titer antisera were used to develop the direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of metolcarb. The antibody–antigen combination with the highest selectivity for metolcarb was further optimized and its tolerance to changes in chemical conditions (ionic strength, pH value, and organic solvent) was studied. Under optimum conditions, the sensitivity and the limit of detection were determined to be 22 μg L⁻¹ and 1.2 μg L⁻¹ respectively. Determination of metolcarb in fruit juices and vegetables was accomplished by simple, rapid, and efficient extraction methods. Recoveries of metolcarb from spiked samples ranged from 80.5% to 109.5%. Validation of the developed immunosorbent assay was conducted by comparison of results from high-performance liquid chromatography. The correlation between the data obtained using developed immunosorbent assay and high-performance liquid chromatography was high (R ² = 0.9884). Therefore, the developed immunosorbent assay in this study was suitable for the rapid quantitative determination of metolcarb in agricultural products.     

Determination of beta-conglycinin in soybean and soybean products using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Soybean protein has long been recognized as a source of dietary allergens for humans and animals with β-conglycinin being the major allergen. This paper presents a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that allows for the detection of trace amount of β-conglycinin in soybean and soybean products. In the sandwich ELISA, mouse anti-β-conglycinin monoclonal antibody (Mab 5C5) was used as coating antibody, and rabbit anti-β-conglycinin polyclonal antibody (Pab) was used as secondary antibody. The assay showed high specificity for β-conglycinin with minimum cross-reactions with other soy proteins. The practical working range for the determination of β-conglycinin using the developed assay was 3–100 ng mL⁻¹ and the limit of determination (LOD) was 1.63 ng mL⁻¹. The recoveries of β-conglycinin in spiked soybean samples were between 88.1% and 106.6% with relative standard deviation less than 8.9% (intra-day) and 13.1% (inter-day). The developed method was used to analyze 469 soybean seed samples from different sources as well as five soybean products treated with different processing techniques. The data showed that the concentration of β-conglycinin decreased significantly after processing, especially for soybean protein isolation, where the concentration of β-conglycinin dropped to nearly zero. The assay provides a specific and sensitive method for the screening of β-conglycinin and allows for further investigation into hypersensitive mechanisms of soybean proteins and development of soybean processing techniques to reduce their negative effects.     

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using highly-specific monoclonal antibodies against plumbagin

Plumbagin (PL; 5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) is a natural compound mainly isolated from Plumbago zeylanica. This plant is distributed in Southeast Asia, and well known as Ayurvedic medicine in India for its medicinal properties. PL has been shown to have various pharmacological activities. We have successfully prepared monoclonal antibodies against PL, and developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system for determination of PL. 3-(5-Hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone-3-yl) propanoic acid was synthesized and purified to prepare PL-bovine serum albumin conjugate (PL-BSA), which was used as an immunogen. PL-BSA conjugate was administered into BALB/c male mice for production of monoclonal antibodies against PL. The monoclonal antibody against PL which is secreted from established hybridoma cell line 3A3 (MAb 3A3) has been proven to have highly-specific to PL resulting from cross-reactivities test. The range for calibration of PL by ELISA was 0.2-25 μg mL⁻¹. Based on validation analysis, this analytical method by ELISA is a precise, accurate, and sensitive method for the determination of PL in plant.     

Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for naringin

Among the currently used immunoassay techniques, sandwich ELISA exhibits higher specificity, lower cross-reactivity, and a wider working range compared to the corresponding competitive assays. However, it is difficult to obtain a pair of antibodies that can simultaneously bind to two epitopes of a molecule with a molecular weight of less than 1000 Da. Naringin (Nar) is a flavonoid with a molecular mass of 580 Da. The main aim of this study was to develop a sandwich ELISA for detecting Nar. Two hybridomas secreting anti-Nar monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced by fusing splenocytes from a mouse immunised against Nar-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugated with a hypoxanthine–aminopterin–thymidine (HAT)-sensitive mouse myeloma cell line; a sandwich ELISA for detecting Nar was developed using these two well-characterised anti-Nar mAbs. The performance of the sandwich assay was further evaluated by limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), recovery, and interference analyses. A dose-response curve to Nar was obtained with an LOD of 6.78 ng mL⁻¹ and an LOQ of 13.47 ng mL⁻¹. The inter-assay and intra-assay coefficients of variation were 4.32% and 7.48%, respectively. The recovery rate of Nar from concentrated Fructus aurantii granules was 83.63%. A high correlation was obtained between HPLC and sandwich ELISA. These results demonstrate that the sandwich ELISA method has higher specificity for Nar than indirect competitive ELISA.     

酶联免疫吸附分析法测定水产品及水中孔雀石绿和无色孔雀石绿

本文报道一种同时测定水产品及水样中孔雀石绿(MG)和无色孔雀石绿(LMG)的间接竞争酶联免疫吸附分析法。对无色孔雀石绿分子进行修饰,使其与载体蛋白交联,得到免疫原和包被抗原,经过多次免疫动物制得抗无色孔雀石绿的多克隆抗体。在优化的实验条件下,IC50值(标准曲线中吸光度抑制至最大吸光度值的50%时所对应的待测物浓度)为0.9~2.6μg/L,检出限为0.02~0.10μg/L,无色孔雀石绿在水样及水产品中的回收率为76.2~95.0%,与孔雀石绿的交叉反应率为95.25%。真实样品测定中,两种食用鱼养殖水样及一个鱼样中未检出孔雀石绿和无色孔雀石绿,但在观赏鱼养殖水样及另一鱼样中检出孔雀石绿和无色孔雀石,浓度分别为1.84μg/L和1.38μg/L。     

A highly sensitive and specific polyclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibiotic olaquindox in animal feed samples

The use of olaquindox (OLA) as an additive in animal feedstuffs has been prohibited in the European Union and many other countries. In this study, a highly sensitive and specific indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for determination of OLA in animal feed samples was developed. OLA was activated by N′N-carbonyldiimidazole and coupled with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ovalbumin (OVA). It was found that the sensitivity and specificity of the two antisera were very similar, with the IC₅₀ values of 16 ng mL⁻¹ and 19 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. Cross-reactivity was less than 35% for four structurally related compounds and no recognition of five other antibiotics was observed. The better antiserum I was selected for further experiments, for example testing stability, solvent effect, accuracy, and precision. The IC₅₀ value for eight standard curves was in the range 12–18 ng mL⁻¹ and the LOD at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 (S/N = 3) was 0.31 ± 0.11 ng mL⁻¹. The ELISA tolerated 5% methanol without significant influence on IC₅₀ value. The recoveries of spiked OLA in five different animal feed types including auxin, pig complex feed, fish complex feed, broiler concentrated feed, and pig premix feed were in the range 88.3–119.0% and the intra-assay relative standard deviation (RSD) was within 4.7–33.5% (n = 3). The ELISA for unspiked feed samples was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with a high correlation coefficient of 0.9862 (n = 5). The proposed ELISA could be a feasible quantitative/screening method for OLA analysis in feed samples with the properties of high sensitivity, specificity, simplicity of sample pretreatment, high sample throughput, and low expense. Figure Polyclonal antibody based ELISA for detection of olaquindox     

Synthesis of haptens of organophosphorus pesticides and development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for parathion-methyl

A simple synthetic method for haptens of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides with a spacer arm (aminocarboxylic acid) attached at the pesticide thiophosphate group was developed. While the previous synthetic approach for this type of haptens requires seven steps, the present method involves only two steps. Using this method, four haptens of the OP insecticide parathion-methyl were synthesized. Rabbits were immunized with either one of the two haptens coupled to bovine serum albumin for production of polyclonal antibodies. Using the serum with the highest specificity, an antigen-coated ELISA was developed, which showed an IC₅₀ of 6.4 ng/ml with a detection limit of 0.2 ng/ml. An antibody-coated ELISA using an enzyme tracer was also developed, which showed an IC₅₀ of 3.5 ng/ml with a detection limit of 0.3 ng/ml. The antibodies showed negligible cross-reactivity with other OP pesticides tested except with the insecticides parathion and paraoxon only in the antigen-coated ELISA.     

Ultrasound wave-mediated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique

With the increasing burden of infectious diseases, it has become important to develop a rapid ELISA that could facilitate early diagnosis. Herein, we have shown that ultrasound waves can dramatically reduce the ELISA timing without losing its specificity or sensitivity. Ultrasound-mediated ELISA was best achieved on an activated microtiter plate which was able to covalently bind antigen or antibody in 10 min when subjected to ultrasound waves in a sonicator bath having a temperature of 37 °C, operating at a frequency of 40 KHz and an output power of 120 W. Blocking, antibody binding and secondary antibody-enzyme conjugate binding were also accomplished in 10 min each in the sonicator bath under similar conditions. The validation of SELISA method was demonstrated by detecting IgE in allergic patient's sera. Total IgE detection by 40 min-SELISA method gives similar absorbance value to that obtained by 20 h conventional or 3 h-HELISA procedure. As SELISA method can detect IgE even at the serum dilution of 1/50 (v/v) on photoactivated surface it could be significantly useful to confirm false negative cases. The inhibition assay ruled out the possibility of any cross reactivity or non-specific binding. As SELISA procedure is sensitive, specific and reproducible (intra- and inter-assay CVs were 9.65% and 8.47%) it could be an excellent alternative to conventional ELISA or HELISA procedures.     

Monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of the organophosphorus insecticide diazinon

Four haptens of the organophosphorus (OP) insecticide diazinon were synthesized to develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for this pesticide. One of them was conjugated to KLH to be used as the immunogen for production of monoclonal antibodies. By using the antibodies and a coating antigen, an indirect competitive ELISA was developed, which showed an IC₅₀ of 4.0 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.7 ng/mL. A direct competitive ELISA using an enzyme tracer was also developed, which showed an IC₅₀ of 6.0 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.9 ng/mL. The antibodies in both assays showed negligible cross-reactivity with metabolites of diazinon and other OP pesticides. Recovery of diazinon from fortified lettuce and rice samples was satisfactory except at the fortified concentration of 100 ppb.     

Deoxynivalenol and its conjugates in beer: a critical assessment of data obtained by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are often employed for the control of deoxynivalenol (DON) in barley and other intermediates involved in beer production chain. Because of the occurrence of high levels of DON-3-glucoside (DON-3-Glc) in malt and beer that have been reported for the first time in our earlier study, research focused on the accuracy of DON determination by immunoassays in cereal-based matrices has been initiated. DON-3-Glc was strongly cross-reacting in all examined commercial ELISA test kits (Ridascreen^® DON (R-Biopharm), Veratox 5/5 DON^® (Neogen Corporation), Deoxynivalenol EIA (Euro-Diagnostica), and AgraQuant^® DON Assay 0.25/5.0 Test Kit (Romer Labs). The highest overestimation in beer analysis, up to 1000%, when taking the DON content determined by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) as a reference method, was obtained by AgraQuant assay. Besides of DON-3-Glc and 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (ADONs), also other, not known yet, matrix components contributed to false positive results. Similar phenomenon, although in a lesser extent due to lower content of these substances, was observed for using ELISA in the analysis of wheat. The relationship between a way of sample handling and DON overestimation was demonstrated; higher ELISA response was measured in an aqueous extract compared to that prepared by acetonitrile-water (84:16, v/v). Most of cross-reacting co-extracts were removed by MycoSep™# 226 cartridge, what leads us to the hypothesis on the presence of currently unknown cross-reactive species.     

Determination of 19-nortestosterone residues in aquaculture tissues by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and comparison with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

19-Nortestosterone (17β-NT) was oximated by carboxymethoxylamine and then coupled with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in a mixed-anhydride reaction in order to produce an antibody. The conjugate rate of 17β-NT and BSA was estimated to be 24 by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Polyclonal antibody of 17β-NT was acquired from the animal immunized with the conjugate. Through an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which demonstrated that the synthesis of immunogen was successful, the titre of antiserum was found to be 6.4?×?10⁵. Based on the purified antibody, a competitive indirect ELISA was developed. ELISA revealed that the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.07?ng?g^?1, the recovery (in edible tissues) was 71–89%, and the working range was 0.05–31.25?ng?g^?1. The preliminary evaluation of assay performance through specificity, sensitivity, precision, and accuracy revealed that this ELISA method could be used in the practical detection of 17β-NT in tissue samples. Moreover, this method was compared with high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, for which the transition for quantification of 17β-NT was 275.4/109.1.     

An enzyme-linked immunometric assay for cortisol based on idiotype-anti-idiotype reactions

Cortisol levels in body fluids are useful for monitoring the function of the pituitary-adrenal axis. Here, we established an “enzyme-linked immunometric assay” (a noncompetitive-type ELISA) for cortisol based on idiotype-anti-idiotype reactions. Six different anti-idiotype monoclonal antibodies that recognized the variable regions of a newly established anti-cortisol antibody were generated using hybridoma technology; these were two β-type and four α-type anti-idiotype antibodies, recognizing the paratope and framework regions, respectively. An immunometric assay was established using a combination of a selected α-type and a selected β-type antibody. The analyte (cortisol) was captured by an excess amount of anti-cortisol antibody immobilized on microplates, and the unoccupied paratope was saturated with the β-type antibody. Hapten-occupied anti-cortisol antibody, with less steric hindrance, was then selectively bound by the α-type antibody, labeled with biotin. The amount of biotin residue on the microplates was colorimetrically monitored using a peroxidase-labeled streptavidin. This assay had an approximately threefold higher sensitivity (detection limit: 90 pg = 248 fmol cortisol) than a competitive ELISA using the same anti-cortisol antibody, as well as a practical specificity for providing reasonable determination of normal urinary cortisol levels.     

High performance enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for determination of miroestrol,a potent phytoestrogen from Pueraria candollei

Pueraria candollei associated preparation is widely applied in folk Thai medicine for rejuvenating purpose in aged people, which correlated with its pharmacological activities reported by pre-clinical and clinical trials. Therefore, standardized products of this plant are needed by consumers and health care personnel. Miroestrol, a potent and stable phytoestrogen in P. candollei, exhibited potential to be biomarker for quality control of P. candollei samples in research or industrial levels. Indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) for miroestrol determination was developed and validated by using polyclonal antibody from rabbit immunization. The polyclonal antibody recognized specifically to miroestrol, which exhibited cross-reactivity to deoxymiroestrol and isomiroestrol with 6.68% and 1.05%, respectively. The linearity range of measurement was 0.73–3000 ng mL⁻¹, which coefficient of variation (CV) of both intra- and inter-plate determination was less than 5%. With spiked samples of known amount miroestrol, the percentages of recovery were 98.80–104.37% and 98.31–106.69% in P. candollei and its involved product samples, respectively. Validated ELISA was comparable with published HPLC method (R² = 0.9996) (Yusakul et al. [18]) in samples with various miroestrol contents. For application, the P. candollei involved preparations contained miroestrol 0.695 ± 0.037–12.108 ± 0.285 μg g⁻¹ dry wt. The developed ELISA was high performance for miroestrol determination, which could be applied for P. candollei quality control in research fields and industrial productions.     

Development of an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and immunoaffinity chromatography for glycyrrhizic acid using an anti‐glycyrrhizic acid monoclonal antibody

In this work, a new monoclonal antibody specific for glycyrrhizic acid was prepared and characterized. A hybridoma secreting an anti‐glycyrrhizic acid monoclonal antibody was produced by fusing splenocytes from a mouse immunized against a glycyrrhizic acid–bovine serum albumin conjugate with the hypoxanthine–aminopterin–thymidine‐sensitive mouse myeloma cell line (Sp2/0‐Ag14). Subsequently, an indirect, competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for glycyrrhizic acid was developed using the monoclonal antibody. In this assay, we detected an effective measuring range of 78.12–2500 ng/mL. Both intra‐assay and inter‐assay repeatability and precision were achieved, with relative standard deviations lower than 10%. In addition, glycyrrhizic acid levels in both formulated Chinese medicines and biological samples were determined with high sensitivity and efficiency. We then successfully developed a reliable immunoaffinity chromatography to separate glycyrrhizic acid completely from its parent medicine. These methods will contribute to further research investigations to better understand the interactions of glycyrrhizic acid with other drugs in the complex system of traditional Chinese medicine.     

Extraction of domoic acid from seawater and urine using a resin based on 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylic acid

A new solid-phase extraction (SPE) matrix with high affinity for the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) was designed and tested. A computational modelling study led to the selection of 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylic acid (TFMAA) as a functional monomer capable of imparting affinity towards domoic acid. Polymeric adsorbents containing TFMAA were synthesised and tested in high ionic strength solutions such as urine and seawater. The TFMAA-based polymers demonstrated excellent performance in solid-phase extraction of domoic acid, retaining the toxin while salts and other interfering compounds such as aspartic and glutamic acids were removed by washing and selective elution. It was shown that the TFMAA-based polymer provided the level of purification of domoic acid from urine and seawater acceptable for its quantification by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) without any additional pre-concentration and purification steps.