Abstract
Mycotoxins are the toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi and they are a worldwide public health concern. A VHH antibody (or nanobody) is the smallest antigen binding entity and is produced by heavy chain only antibodies. Compared with conventional antibodies, VHH antibodies overcome many pitfalls typically encountered in clinical therapeutics and immunodiagnostics. Likewise, VHH antibodies are particularly useful for monitoring mycotoxins in food and feedstuffs, as they are easily genetic engineered and have superior stability. In this review, we summarize the efforts to produce anti-mycotoxins VHH antibodies and associated assays, presenting VHH as a potential tool in mycotoxin analysis.
Highlights
Mycotoxins are the secondary metabolites naturally produced by fungi that colonize crops.Among more than 400 mycotoxins are discovered so far, Aflatoxins (AFTs), ochratoxins (OTs), fumonisins (FBs), deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) are gaining attention due to their frequent occurrence and high toxicity in animals and humans (Figure 1) [1]
Immunoassays based on specific interactions between antibodies and antigens are the most useful tools for rapidly monitoring of mycotoxins [12]
These assays have a number of advantages, including high selectivity toward the target analytes, greater than or comparable sensitivity to the instrumental methods and ease of operation and high-throughput screening ability [13] for mycotoxins in agricultural foodstuffs
Summary
Mycotoxins are the secondary metabolites naturally produced by fungi that colonize crops. Immunoassays based on specific interactions between antibodies and antigens are the most useful tools for rapidly monitoring of mycotoxins [12]. These assays have a number of advantages, including high selectivity toward the target analytes, greater than or comparable sensitivity to the instrumental methods and ease of operation and high-throughput screening ability [13] for mycotoxins in agricultural foodstuffs. In the serum of camelidae family and cartilaginous fish, heavy chain only antibodies (HcAbs) are existed devoid of light chains and lacking the CH1 domains (Figure 2) [14,15] The variable domain of HcAbs, which binds to specific antigens, is referred to as VHH.
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