Production of monoclonal antibodies against antitumor cyclohexapeptide RA-VII from Rubia cordifolia and their characterization.

An immunoassay system was established for the estimation of the quantity of an antitumor cyclic hexapeptide RA-VII (1) from Rubia cordifolia L. and R. akane Nakai (Rubiaceae). First, 1 was converted into its hapten, which was then conjugated with a carrier protein to be used as an effective antigen to obtain its monoclonal antibody (MAb). In the resulting conjugate, the molecular ratio between 1 and the carrier protein as assayed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was about 5:1. Then, the splenocytes from the mouse immunized with the conjugate were fused with mouse myeloma cells to produce hybridoma, secreting MAb against 1. Two clones were isolated, one producing MAb IgG(1) and the other IgM, both having a κ light chain. The sensitivity and cross-reactivity of the thus obtained MAb were also assayed.