Preparation of a single-chain variable fragment and a recombinant antigen-binding fragment against the anti-malarial drugs, artemisinin and artesunate, and their application in an ELISA

Two different recombinant antibodies, a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) and an antigen-binding fragment (Fab), were prepared against artemisinin (AM) and artesunate (AS) and were developed for use in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The recombinant antibodies, which were derived from a single monoclonal antibody against AM and AS (mAb 1C1) prepared by us, were expressed by Escherichia coli cells and their reactivity and specificity were characterized. As a result, to obtain sufficient signal in indirect ELISA, a much greater amount of a first antibody was needed in the use of scFv due to the differences of the secondary antibody and conformational stability. Therefore, we focused on the development of the recombinant Fab antibodies and applied it to indirect competitive ELISA. The specificity of the Fab was similar to that of mAb 1C1 in that it showed specific reactivity toward AM and AS only. The sensitivity of the icELISA (0.16 μg/mL to 40 μg/mL for AM and 8.0 ng/mL to 60 ng/mL for AS) was sufficient for analysis of antimalarial drugs, and its utility for quality control of analysis of Artemisia spp. was validated. The Fab expression and refolding systems provided a good yield of high-quality antibodies. The recombinant antibody against AM and AS provides an essential component of an economically attractive immunoassay and will be useful in other immunochemical applications for the analysis and purification of antimalarial drugs.     

Development of Anti-Asiaticoside Polyclonal Antibody-Based Immunoassay and Applications for Centella asiatica Products and Human Serum

A sensitive indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed using polyclonal antibody (PAb) against asiaticoside (AS), one of the triterpenoid saponins found in Centella asiatica (Linn). AS-bovine serum albumin conjugate was immunized to rabbits for producing PAb. The results showed that the antibodies were specific only for AS and very low specific for madecassoside whose basic skeleton is almost the same as AS. The range of the assay extends from 0.05?C25 ??g/ml of AS. A good correlation between ELISA and high-performance liquid chromatography methods was obtained when analysis of AS in the crude extracts of plant samples. In addition, the products containing C. asiatica in various preparations were determined AS content by competitive ELISA. The results showed that the product from tea bag preparation gave the highest yield of AS content (35.59?mg/g dry wt) comparing to other preparations. In order to evaluate the matrix effect of the serum for AS immunoassay, the standard curves of AS in different media were observed. Standard curve of the serum was similar to the water media and both curves showed the measurement range of 0.20?C6.25???g/ml. The developed ELISA method can be used for quality assessment of C. asiatica and their products including AS detection in serum samples.