Colloidal Gold-Based Immunochromatographic Test Strip for Rapid Detection of Abrin in Food Samples

• Published in: Journal of food protection Vol. 75; no. 1; pp. 112 - 117
• Main Authors: SHAN GAO, CHONG NIE, JUNHONG WANG, JING WANG, LIN KANG, YANG ZHOU, WANG, Jing-Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Des Moines, IA International Association for Food Protection 2012; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Abrin - analysis; Abrin - immunology; Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Drinking water; Food; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; Food microbiology; Food safety; Fruit juices; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Gold; Gold Colloid - chemistry; Humans; Immunochromatography - methods; Methods of analysis, processing and quality control, regulation, standards; Mice; Monoclonal antibodies; Phytotoxins; Polyclonal antibodies; Proteins; Rabbits; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; Reagent Strips; Sensitivity and Specificity; Studies; Toxicity; Control method; Analysis method; Abrin; Detection; Sample; Food
• ISSN: 0362-028X; 1944-9097
• DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-11-252

In the present study, we developed a convenient, rapid, and sensitive immunochromatographic (IC) test strip to detect abrin in assay buffer and spiked abrin in test food samples. The abrin IC test strip was based on a sandwich format consisting of a monoclonal antibody and a polyclonal antibody. The anti-abrin A chain monoclonal antibody from mice was immobilized on a porous nitrocellulose membrane as a capture antibody, while the anti-abrin polyclonal antibody from rabbits was conjugated to colloidal gold particles, serving as a detection antibody. Both visual observation and quantitative analysis indicated that the lower detection of the strip was about 3 ng/ml when abrin was directly spiked into milk, orange juice, and drinking water at a concentration of 3 to 60 ng/ml; the analytical recovery rate was 92.2 to 128%. With this method, abrin spiked into food could be detected in less than 10 min. Moreover, the IC test strip showed no cross-reaction with the closely related phytotoxin ricin. Therefore, our test strip is an ideal candidate for the development of a kit for rapid and quantitative detection of abrin in food samples.