Development and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies Specific for 3-(1-naphthoyl) Indole Derivatives

3-(1-naphthoyl) indole is one of the raw materials that synthesizes a synthetic cannabinoid such as 1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl) indole (JWH-018) and 1-butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl) indole (JWH-073). It is important to detect the 3-(1-naphthoyl) indole derivatives rapidly, sensitively, and comprehensively. We developed two monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against 3-(1-naphthoyl) indole derivatives, named NT1 (IgG1) and NT2 (IgG1), which were possibly effective for detecting 3-(1-naphthoyl) indole derivatives. The cross-reactive ability of these MAbs was evaluated using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the results, we found both of these antibodies recognize 3-(1-naphthoyl) indole and its derivatives. However neither of these antibodies recognize naphtoic acid, 4-methyl-naphtoic acid, and indole. Sixty to 100 nanomole per liter of 3-(1-naphthoyl) indole derivatives, such as 1-methyl-3-(1-naphthoyl) indole, 1-ethyl-3-(1-naphthoyl) indole, and 1-octyl-3-(1-naphthoyl) indole, can be detected using both of the obtained MAbs. Thus, the MAbs produced in this study could be a useful tool for the detection of 3-(1-naphthoyl) indole derivatives.