Rapid evaluation of artesunate quality with a specific monoclonal antibody-based lateral flow dipstick

Artesunate is a frontline antimalarial drug for treating Plasmodium falciparum malaria. To produce specific antibodies to artesunate, the carboxyl group of artesunate was directly conjugated to carrier protein as the immunogen. A specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) 3D82G6 against artesunate was obtained by high-throughput screening of positive hybridoma clones. This monoclonal antibody had 4.0, 0.5, and 0.9 % cross reactivities with artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, and artemether, respectively. A dipstick immunoassay was developed, and the indicator range for artesunate was 1000–2000 ng mL−1. No interference was observed with artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, artemether, and other commonly used antimalarial drugs for up to 20,000 ng mL−1. The dipsticks were used for determination of artesunate contents in commercial drugs, and the results were agreeable with those determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. This dipstick, with its specificity and sensitivity for artesunate and simplicity to use, makes it a potential point-of-care device for rapid quality evaluation of artesunate-containing antimalarial drugs.