An automated online solid-phase extraction with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the detection of clenbuterol, salbutamol, and ractopamine in food of animal origin. The samples from the food matrix were pretreated with an online solid-phase extraction cartridge by Oasis MCX for <5 min after acid hydrolysis for 30 min. The peak focusing mode was used to elute the target compounds directly onto a C18 column. Chromatographic separation was achieved under gradient conditions using a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid in aqueous solution. Each analyte was detected in two multiple reaction monitoring transitions via an electrospray ionization source in a positive mode. The relative standard deviations ranged from 2.6 to 10.5%, and recovery was between 76.7 and 107.2% at all quality control levels. The limits of quantification of three β-agonists were in the range of 0.024-0.29 μg/kg in pork, sausage, and milk powder, respectively. This newly developed method offers high sensitivity and minimum sample pretreatment for the high-throughput analysis of β-agonist residues.

Anti-rhEPO McAb is valuable for the determination of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) levels for diagnosis of renal anemia and for doping control analysis. In this paper, anti-rhEPO hybridoma was prepared by fusion of SP2/0 murine myeloma cells with spleen cells isolated from immunized BALB/c mouse, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method to screen the positive hybridoma. The purified McAb was characterized by ELISA, SDS-PAGE, and Western-blotting. Experimental results showed that the subclass and the light chain of anti-rhEPO McAb was IgG1 and kappa light chain. The molecular weight of anti-rhEPO McAb was 166,000 Daltons. The affinity constant (K(aff)) of anti-rhEPO McAb with coated antigen was 5.0 x 10(5)L/mol.

A method was developed for the determination of 14 mycotoxins, aflatoxins, T-2, HT-2, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, etc. in Chinese herbs by liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The sample was extracted with phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and methanol in turn, and then purified by a high selective multi-functional immunoaffinity column. The column was washed by PBS (containing 0.1% Twain) and water, and then eluted by methanol. The eluate was dried under nitrogen, dissolved in methanol-10 mmol/L NH4Ac (40 : 60, v/v) solution. The mycotoxins were separated on a Waters Xterra C18 MS column (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 3.5 microm) and detected by MS/MS. The limits of quantification (LOQs) of the 14 mycotoxins were from 1.0 to 5.0 microg/kg. The average recoveries of the 14 mycotoxins spiked in Chinese herbs (Ginseng, Campanulaceae, Radix and Ophiopogonis) ranged from 71.9% to 99.7% at the three spiked levels of 1.0, 5.0, 10.0 microg/kg, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 6) were between 4.8% and 15.8%. The method is rapid, sensitive and accurate, and suitable for the determination of the 14 mycotoxins in Chinese medicines. The quantification limits of aflatoxins can meet the domestic and foreign requirements.

The production of a large amount of specific antibodies against erythropoietin (EPO) is necessary for both clinical treatment and doping control. However, the weak immunogenicity of EPO and the side effects of excessive injection make the conventional immunological protocol rather inefficient and time-consuming. In this study, a single-chain antibody fragment of variable region (scFv) against recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) was produced after three rounds of panning a phage display antibody library. The selected scFv-B2 was expressed in soluble form in Escherichia coli DH5alpha F' and purified by His-bond nickel affinity chromatography with a yield of about 1-2 mg of antibody in 1 L of the culture supernatant. The molecular weight of the scFv was estimated to be 29 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the affinity constant was found to be 1.0 x 10(8) L mol(-1) based on a competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CI-ELISA). The potential ability of the scFvs for immunopurification of rHuEPO from related sample was demonstrated by using a double-antibody sandwich ELISA. The reported method is a very powerful tool to produce specific antibodies for rHuEPO detection demands.

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