| Abstract: | In this study, a specific monoclonal antibody (Mab) against oxytetracycline (OTC) and its metabolite 4-epi-Oxytetracycline (4-epi-OTC) was produced. Based on this Mab, a sensitive and reliable method indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) was developed for the detection of OTC and 4-epi-OTC from chicken meats. The ic-ELISA showed a 50% inhibition (IC50) value of 2.01 ± 0.16 ng/ml and a detection limit of 0.13 ± 0.03 ng/ml. The recoveries from chicken muscles and livers spiked with OTC of 50–600 ng/g were 83.33–88.25% and 84.62–86.12%, respectively. The intra-assay coefficients of variation (CVs) were 4.73–9.31%, and the inter-assay CVs were 6.44–11.01%. The method showed a positive correlation with the traditional method HPLC (R2 = 0.997) within a certain concentration of OTC used in this assay. The method developed in this study was simple and independent of specific expensive equipment. Thus, it could be useful as a convenient method to detect OTC residues. |
