Engineering a High-Affinity Monoclonal Antibody for Thiram Immunoassays and Protection

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Toxicology
• Immunology

Background:

• Thiram (TMTD), a dithiocarbamate fungicide, causes oxidative liver damage.
• Effective detection and immunoprotection strategies for TMTD are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an antibody-enabled framework for TMTD detection, therapy, and prevention.
• To characterize TMTD-induced hepatotoxicity in a murine model.

Main Methods:

• Generated a high-affinity monoclonal antibody via rational hapten design.
• Developed a portable immunodetection platform using Au nanoflowers and a MOF probe.
• Evaluated passive and active immunization for protective efficacy in a murine model.

Main Results:

• Achieved an IC50 of 0.246 µg/mL for TMTD detection.
• Passive immunization reduced mortality from 37.5% to 0% when administered within 30 minutes.
• Active immunization conferred complete survival and histopathological protection against TMTD toxicity.

Conclusions:

• An integrated antibody-based framework enables sensitive TMTD detection.
• Both passive and active immunization strategies provide significant protection against TMTD-induced hepatotoxicity.
• This work bridges immunodetection with immune protection for TMTD toxicity management.