Use of monoclonal antibodies for radioimmunoassay of water buffalo milk progesterone

In order to standardize a radioimmunoassay of milk progesterone as a routine method for confirmation of oestrus and diagnosis of pregnancy in water buffalo, monoclonal antibodies against progesterone were produced. Hybridomas were prepared by fusing spleen cells from a Balb/c mouse immunized with progesterone 11 alpha-hemisuccinate-bovine serum albumin conjugate with the mouse myeloma cell line NS-1. Thirty wells out of 94 secreted anti-progesterone antibodies. Of the ten independent hybridomas derived, one (AF65) was suitable for the quantification of milk progesterone by radioimmunoassay. The tracer used in the assay was progesterone-11 alpha-hemisuccinate [( 2-125I]iodohistamine). The sensitivity of the assay was 50 pg/tube. The mean progesterone concentration at oestrus was 0.8 +/- 0.2 ng/ml increasing to 8.5 +/- 0.8 ng/ml 24 d later in pregnant animals.