Characterization of monoclonal antibodies against goat interleukin-18 and their application in the measurement of goat interleukin-18 in LPS-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells by sandwich ELISA.

In order to develop a specific assay for the measurement of goat IL-18 level, two stable hybridoma cell lines were established which secreted IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against goat IL-18. Specific binding of two mAbs named 2E8 and 4C4 to recombinant goat IL-18 expressed in Escherichia coli was demonstrated in an ELISA and Western blotting. Results also showed that mAbs 2E8 and 4C4 bound to distinct epitopes in the ELISA additivity test. These two mAbs were applied in IFA analysis for the detection of goat IL-18 expressed in 293FT cells and in the sandwich ELISA for the measurement of goat IL-18 levels in LPS-stimulated PBMC. Results from this study demonstrated that mAbs against goat IL-18 recognize bovine and human IL-18 and could be used to measure IL-18 levels in different inflammations or immune responses in future studies.