Preparation of a novel monoclonal antibody against the antimalarial drugs, artemisinin and artesunate

A monoclonal antibody (MAb) 1C1 against artemisinin was prepared by a cell fusion with splenocytes and aminopterin-sensitive myeloma cells, SP2/0. An artesunate-BSA conjugate was used as immunogen to raise antibodies specific to artemisinin. The prepared anti-artemisinin MAb-1C1 have a novel characteristic which shows a specificity to compounds that are structurally related to artemisinin such as artesunate (630%) and dihydroartemisinin (29.9%). By using MAb-1C1, a specific and reliable ELISA was developed for the detection of compounds structurally related to artemisinin. The system shows a full measuring range from 2 to 20 μg/mL in the case of artemisinin and from 4 to 125 ng/mL in the case of artesunate in the competitive ELISA, and was validated to be of use for surveying and breeding of Artemisia annua containing a high amount of artemisinin as well as for the characterization of the pharmacokinetics of artemisinin and its derivatives.