Simultaneous Extraction of DNA and RNA from Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Hep G2) Based on Silica-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles

Nucleic acid (NA) extraction from cancer cells is an essential step in molecular oncologic testing. The conventional NA extraction protocols, based on several ultracentrifugation steps, suffer from time-consuming and complex manipulation. Here, a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) based method for simultaneous extraction of DNA and RNA from cancer cells is described. This MNP based technique has received great attention and significant interest due to its convenient manipulation, low cost and ease for automation. Different factors including lysis buffer, ethanol, MNPs and washing buffers which may affect the yield of nucleic acid were optimized. The average yield of DNA and RNA obtained from 1 mL Hep G2 (similar to 10(6) cells) ranged from 9.7 to 14.7 mu g with A260/A280 values between 1.68 and 2.01. The isolated DNA and RNA, using this method, were suitable for downstream activities such as PCR and RT-PCR.