Development of a low-cost, simple, fast and quantitative lateral-flow immunochromatographic assay (ICA) strip for melatonin in health foods

Melatonin (MT) is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland which regulates sleep rhythm and is widely used in health foods. However, MT is sometimes added illegally and excessively in certain health foods, which might cause undesirable side-effects. In this work, an easy-to-use immunochromatographic assay (ICA) based on mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) for rapid detection of MT was developed for the purpose of safety. Under the optimal conditions,...