Production and characterization of a generic antibody against group A trichothecenes

An antibody against group A trichothecenes was produced after immunization of rabbits with an immunogen prepared by conjugation of T-2 toxin to bovine albumin at the C-8 position. T-2 toxin was first converted to 3-acetylneosolaniol (3-Ac-NEOS) and then to its hemisuccinate (HS) before conjugation to the protein. The rabbits showed a quick immune response after immunization of the new conjugate. The antibody produced bound with tritiated T-2 toxin, T-2 tetraol tetraacetate, and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) and showed good cross-reactivities with most of the group A trichothecenes. The concentrations causing 50% inhibition of binding of 3H-T-2 toxin to the new antibody by unlabeled T-2, acetyl-T-2, 3'-OH-T-2, DAS, 3-Ac-NEOS-HS, 3'-OH-Ac-T-2, T-2 tetraol tetraacetate, iso-T-2, 3-Ac-NEOS, Ac-DAS, and 3,4,15-triacetyl-7-deoxynivalenol were found to be 0.34, 0.34, 0.6, 2.5, 4, 10, 18, 24, 100, 200, and 300 ng/assay, respectively; for HT-2, T-2 triol, and T-2 tetraol, the concentration was greater than 1000 ng/assay. Nivalenol, deoxynivalenol (DON), 15-acetyl-DON, and triacetyl-DON, did not inhibit the binding at 1000 ng/assay. The practical application of using this new antibody for radioimmunoassay (RIA) of trichothecene was tested by spiking T-2 toxin to corn. T-2 toxin was then extracted with acetone, subjected to a simple Sep-Pak C-18 reversed-phase treatment, and analyzed by RIA. The overall recovery for 18 samples spiked with 10 to 50 ppb of T-2 toxin was 94.22%.