Production of monoclonal antibodies for sandwich immunoassay detection of Pacific ciguatoxins

Ciguatoxins are the major causative toxins of ciguatera seafood poisoning. Limited availability of ciguatoxins has hampered the development of a reliable and specific immunoassay for detecting these toxins in contaminated fish. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific against both ends of Pacific ciguatoxins CTX3C and 51-hydroxyCTX3C were prepared by immunization of mice with the protein conjugates of rationally designed synthetic haptens in place of the natural toxin. Haptenic groups that possess a surface area larger than 400 Å2 were required to produce mAbs that can bind strongly to CTX3C or 51-hydroxyCTX3C. A direct sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using these mAbs was established to detect CTX3C and 51-hydroxyCTX3C at the ppb level with no cross-reactivity against the other marine toxins, including brevetoxin A, brevetoxin B, okadaic acid, or maitotoxin.