Preparation and characterization of artificial antigen of zearalenone.

Objective To synthesize the complete antigen of zearalenone(ZEN). Method ZEN was coupled with cationic bovine serum albumin(cBSA) via a Mannich reaction. Molecular weights of the complete antigen and carrier protein were measured by MALDI-TOF, respectively. And the performance of complete antigen was further validated by chequerboard titration using a commercial ZEN immunoassay kit. Results The molecular weights of the conjugate and BSA were 69693.5 Da, 66297.7 Da, respectively. There were 10.68 ZEN molecules attached to each BSA molecule, and 5.32 ZEN molecules attached to each OVA molecule. A positive result of the immunoreaction between the synthesized complete antigen and the anti-ZEN antibody from immunoassay kit was observed. Conclusion The preparation of complete antigen of ZEN contributes to the anti-ZEN antibody production and immunoassay development.