Preparation of Antibodies to Paclitaxel

Paclitaxel (PAC), the major active component of Yew tree, is used as an important anti-cancer drug. To obtain the monoclonal antibody (MAb) for PAC determination using immunoassay, 7-xylosyltaxol was conjugated to the carrier protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) to construct the immunogen. After immunization of mice with this conjugate, hybridomas secreting MAbs against PAC were obtained by fusing the splenocytes with mouse myeloma cell line SP2/0. After hybridoma screening, the anti-paclitaxel MAb was obtained, which showed a relatively high specificity to PAC. In addition, an antigen-binding fragment (Fab) was prepared against PAC and was developed for use in an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA). The FAb, which was derived from the MAb against PAC, was expressed by Escherichia coli cells, and its reactivity and specificity were characterized. As a result, the specificity of the Fab was similar to that of the MAb. In conclusion, this assay shows advantages in the effectiveness, precision, simplicity, low cost, and environmental friendliness. It can be applied in rapid analysis of a large number of samples, and well serves the purposes of batch quality inspection of Taxus materials.