Production of a Monoclonal Antibody for the Detection of Forchlorfenuron: Application in an Indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Immunochromatographic Strip

In this study, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific to forchlorfenuron (CPPU) with high sensitivity and specificity was produced and designated (9G9). To detect CPPU in cucumber samples, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) and a colloidal gold nanobead immunochromatographic test strip (CGN-ICTS) were established using 9G9. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) and the LOD for the developed ic-ELISA were determined to be 0.19 ng/mL and 0.04 ng/mL in the sample dilution buffer, respectively. The results indicate that the sensitivity of the antibodies prepared in this study (9G9 mAb) was higher than those reported in the previous literature. On the other hand, in order to achieve rapid and accurate detection of CPPU, CGN-ICTS is indispensable. The IC50 and the LOD for the CGN-ICTS were determined to be 27 ng/mL and 6.1 ng/mL. The average recoveries of the CGN-ICTS ranged from 68 to 82%. The CGN-ICTS and ic-ELISA quantitative results were all confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with 84-92% recoveries, which indicated the methods developed herein are appropriate for detecting CPPU in cucumber. The CGN-ICTS method is capable of both qualitative and semiquantitative analysis of CPPU, which makes it a suitable alternative complex instrument method for on-site detection of CPPU in cucumber samples since it does not require specialized equipment.