Development of a highly sensitive ELISA and immunochromatographic strip to detect pentachlorophenol

A sensitive monoclonal antibody for targeting pentachlorophenol was prepared with an immunization procedure and cell fusion. The antibody was characterized with an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which had an IC50 of 0.2ng/ml for pentachlorophenol under optimized conditions. The cross-reactivity of the ELISA to related compounds was very low. The recovery of pentachlorophenol was 99.2-105% in water samples and 89-110.9% in fish samples. A simple, rapid, and sensitive immunochromatographic strip was produced based on the monoclonal antibody, with a qualitative visual limit of detection of 2ng/ml in water samples and 10ng/ml in fish samples, indicating its potential utility in monitoring pentachlorophenol in the field.