Characterization of a monoclonal TNT-antibody by measurement of the cross-reactivities of nitroaromatic compounds

The characterization of a commercially available monoclonal antibody directed against the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is reported. The cross-reactivities of various nitroaromatic compounds have been determined by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Byproducts and metabolites of TNT were examined as well as the azo dye Disperse Blue 79 and its major metabolites (2-bromo-4,6-dinitroaniline and 2-chloro4,6-dinitroaniline, respectively). By investigation of the cross-reactivities of different spacer derivatives of TNT it could be demonstrated that the bridge-recognition of the antibody is not very pronounced. N-(2,4,6-Trinitrophenyl)-methylamine shows the highest cross-reactivity (240%) of the examined compounds. Additionally, affinity constants of several nitroaromatic compounds have been determined. The affinity constant of TNT has been calculated to 1.3 × 10⁹ L/mol from the minimal midpoint (IC50 value) of the standard curve. The detection limit achieved for TNT was 0.06 μg/L; the midpoint of the optimized assay was 0.34 μg/L.