SYBR Safe DNA stain and GelRed. Both are very sensitive. Results are comparable with EtBr.

SYBR Safe DNA stain and GelRed. Both are very sensitive. Results are comparable with EtBr.

I have used GelRed for routine experiments. It works well

SYBR® Safe from life technologies

Gel red works fine and its safe.

Why don't you use the search function of RG? It is very frustrating to see RG flooded with similar questions over and over again…

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Are_there_any_sufficent_alternative_to_EtBr_Are_there_anyone_who_knows_anything_about_Pronosafe

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_anyone_suggest_another_compound_to_be_used_in_place_of_EtBr_in_gel_electrophoresis

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_anyone_compare_a_performance_of_non-cytotoxic_nucleic_acid_gel_stains_for_replacing_EtBr

I have great results with http://www.nippongenetics.eu/dnarna-electrophoresis/dna-stains/midori-green-dna-stain/

I used SIBR safe and results were pretty the same than with EtBr.

And read this:

http://bitesizebio.com/95/ethidium-bromide-a-reality-check/

I'm not sure from whom I heard it but I agree with the idea that all chemicals/dyes that can interfere with your DNA have the potential to be toxic/cancerous/mutagen (but which depends also on skin adsorption). Therefore I still work with EtBr but follow the usual safety regulations (gloves, no dusts, not touching surfaces that should stay clean, old gels etc in special waste, etc) without being obsessive with them. No need to be anxious or paranoid about EtBr.

And I hope this was not already mentioned in the old discussions as I didn't read them ;-) .

Our lab uses EZ-vision which is a product available through Amresco. Our gels have very bright and crisp bands using this instead of EtBr. This is a much safer alternative to EtBr. If you would like more information about the product, the link should help you out. http://www.amresco-inc.com/home/products/best-sellers/EZ-Vision.cmsx Best of luck in your experiments.

I have been using SYBR Safe DNA from life technologies during the last years. It is sensitive,

I agree with manny others; Sybr safe works really well.

cheers

We moved to GelRed and have had no problems

Hi Leani,

I strongly recommend you to used GelRed from Biotium.

I would recommend SERVA DNA Stain G. Works quite well.

http://www.serva.de//www_root/documents/SERVA%20DNA%20Stain%20G_07_10.pdf

We use SYBR Safe, it has the benefit of not being electrophoretically mobile, so you can incorporate it directly into the gel, and you don't get a black front on the gel when you visualize it. It's sensitive too so you don't have to use much (for plasmid analysis we put 1ul in a 75 mL gel)

We used to use SAFE Green too, but it seems to interfere with migration when DNA concentrations are high.

GelRed is sensitive like EtBr.

All intercalating dyes are mutagenic - read the package inserts. SYBR dyes give better signals at lower concentrations than ethidium or propidium halide salts, but all of them are toxic. Use gloves and wash your hands afterwards.

I also recommend GelRed.We have compared it side-by-side with EthBr and found it to be more sensitive. You can download the safty report from the Biotium website. GelRed is non-mutagenic at the concentrations used in gels. This is not the same as not being mutagenic at all, but certainly better than EthBr. We also found that you can dilute GelRed 10x more than recommended in the manufacurer's recommendations, which makes it 10x less expensive.

SYBR ® Safe DNA gel stain (Invitrogen)

PeqGREEN von PeqLab

I am a SYBR safe user and completly satisfied of it. It stains DNA in either agarose or polyacrylamide gels and is not considered as hazardous waste in the US.

We use gel red from Fisher and it works great!!

GelRed is a very good alternative is very sensitive

EZ-vision is also better and non-toxic

You are all using new commercial products but infact silver staining (usually used for sensitive detection of proteins) works on DNA. I have never tried it on an agarose gel but if your PCR products are resolving on a Polyacrylamide gel - silver staining is extremely sensitive and the BIORAD silver staining kit made it very easy.

We use Midori Green, which uses exactly the same visualisation equipment and filters as used for Eth Br.

http://www.bulldog-bio.com/midori_green.html

In our lab we use GelRed because it possess the same fluorescence requirements of the EtBr.

A great, sensitive, cheap, and relatively safe alternative is methyl blue staining. It doesn't even require the use of UV light, or a special blue light transilluminator. Just a white light box you can make yourself. Why I and others haven't used this stain more is a mystery.

I use GelRed in gel agaros and erithrogel for pcr product loading.

I normally answer such questions in the following manner:

Do not avoid what is a problem/risk. In this case, practice safety rather than finding an alternative.

Try RedSafe (Nucleic acid staining solution) (Intron Biotechnology).

Keep in mind that the manufacturer, Biotium have indicated in the MSDS for Gel Red that it's molecular formula is proprietary, and it has not been fully tested, and so take all the precautions you would use for a known hazard . It works very well regardless!

SYBR-Green is highly sensitive and considered very safe.

SYBR safe works really well. You don't have to wait for the gel to cool before adding and you can remicrowave it!

RedSafe. We "decontaminated" the EtBr room. Now everybody is using RedSafe (5ul/100ml gel).

And by the way, if Sabine Strehl is not happy with the questions : A) don't look at them B) don't answer them C) Unsuscribe from RG

GelRed works very well: very strong signal comparable to EtBr.

You can use Gel Red, it works good!

Gel Red affects DNA migration and can be only used after electrophoresis. Not recommended, Google it and you can find videos showing that behaviour. Syber safe is the best alternative but expensive.

Thanks Alberto! I suspected it did that. However, I find GelRed very good and sizing isn't affected for smaller fragments. I mix it with my loading dye at a concentration of 1ul GelRed into 500ul dye, rather than adding it to my gel. That way I use very little and since it's so expensive- it saves A LOT of money.

Biotium also makes GelGreen. I find it works as well if not better than EtBr and can be disposed of much more easily. Also, the dye is not particularly light sensitive so gels can be poured and run in a regularly lit room. Finally, GelGreen can be added directly to loading dye meaning you use very little and it is very concentrated giving high sensitivity when used this way. Good luck!

Midori green from Nippon Genetics is an excellent alternative. I have also used SYBER Green before and it is good. Nicodemus M. Useh, former Alexander von Humboldt fellow

We also use MidoriGreen and see no difference when comparing to EtBr. Except Midori is safer :) And less can be added to gel. But it is not recommeneded to heat up gel with Midori again. Good luck!

Gel Red in sample affects migration as well. I tested, and you can see a video here:

http://www.benchfly.com/video/158/gel-red-vs-etbr/

We use Gel Red without any problems.

That being said Ethidium Bromide is not really all that dangerous of a chemical, studies have shown that is has little affect unless you are exposed to concentrations vastly higher than anything that you would find in a lab.

It is also worth noting that it was only classed as a mutagen on the ames test after treating with liver homogenate suggesting that it is a breakdown product of the ethidium bromide that causes mutagenesis rather than the ethidium bromide itself.

As some of the substitutes for EthBr still contain Ethidium it is entirely possible that they could be just as toxic.

As the ethidium bromide replacements are also usually vastly more expensive than EthBr I would really recommend you have a good look at the current practices and risks in your lab and decide if you really do need to swap out EthBr for something else.

I'd just like to point out that I really like you asking for a "safer" product. None of them are really safe, so continue to take your precautions!

(We use SybrSAFE)

SYBR safe and Gel red are equally good, but the bands are much more clear when EtBr is used. Use proper PPE and EtBr will still be safe to use!

We have very good results with Sybr Safe DNA stain

Why don't you try Red Safe DNA stain ...it works for me..

http://www.chembio.co.uk/product_detail.php?product_id=150

NOTE: I am not promoting this product.

Use syber safe, syber green or syber gold

Peqgreen or Sybr safe are very sensitive

Gelgreen

We use GelRed from Biotium and it works very well.

http://biotium.com/product/gelredtm-nucleic-acid-gel-stain-10000x-in-water/

I am happy with this:

SYBR® Gold Nucleic Acid Gel Stain

http://www.lifetechnologies.com/order/catalog/product/S11494

We are using SYBR green. In the past, we used Gel Red, but we are happier with our new product. In our hands, bands look nicer.

Like ethidium bromide, all these dyes are intercalating agents nonetheless, and their safety hasn't been extensively documented. Our health and safety department requests us to handle them and discard them taking the same precautions as with ethidium bromide

you can also use Midori green or Amber DNA. Midori green works similar to EtBr, but Amber DNA will be used to charge de gel with DNA like a buffer, But amber DNA is highly sensitive to Nucleic acid alone, so you wont even see the other particulates. all the best

I have also used sybr safe with success. Be sure to follow Pierre's words of caution. None of these are necessarily "safe" and you should handle appropriately.

We use gel red as substitute for etbr

We use Safeview - works really well as a substitute for EtBr

http://www.nbsbio.co.uk/nbs-sv1?gclid=COvx27uK2L0CFdShtAodqDUAkw

GelRed offers much more resistance than Sybr safe. You may take several pictures keeping a correct signal. Moreover, Biotium x 10.000 means in practice x 15.000 or even x 18.000 for most users....

Also used Safeview, and it worked pretty well for me

Depending on your sensitivity vs safety concerns, you could switch to a safer stain like crystal violet. See Analytical Biochemistry (1996) 240: 17 for a good comparison of different stains, ability to extract DNA, etc.

We have used SybrSafe in the past but now we are happy with EuroSafe from EuroClone. In any I wouldn't consider these products completely free of risks. I tell my students to use the same precautions as with EtBr.

EB is the safest option. As far as I know, there is no direct evidence implicating it as a carcinogen in anything other than single cells. Its been used to treat trypanosomiasis in cattle since the 50’s or 60’s. The cattle dose is 1mg/kg body weight. Some quick math says an equivalent dose in your typical researcher would be about 75mg plus or minus 20mg (I usually have about 20 ug in a gel, so now we’re talking ng’s of exposure). Not to mention, EB is administered to cattle by subQ or IM injections with no reports of increased tumor formation or birth defects in calves. So for me, this suggests its much much less toxic to animals like cattle and researchers than it is hyped to be, based on the limited in vitro data. So I would suggest EB is the safest choice, and the most economical too.

You can also use Orange G, thats very safe.. with Serva DNA StainG, here is the link to it:

http://www.serva.de/enDE/ProductDetails/3817_39803_SERVA_DNA_Stain_G.html

It is ten years that my lab is EtBr free and we use SYBR Safe DNA stain as a valid alternative.

Yes, Gel red and SYBR Safe DNA stain are the best options

Hi Tan,

1st Base (www.base-asia.com), Malaysia Produces FloroSafe DNA Stain that replaces EthBr, it worked well.

SybrSafe 1:10000 !

Midori Green is also available

EvaGreen from Biotinum

http://biotium.com/technology/evagreen-dye-for-qpcr/

you can directly add it to PCR reaction if needed because it is not inhibiting the polymerase in the reaction and then load it to gel. It work with normal PCR not just qPCR.

I agree with Ermanno - I wouldn't consider any of these alternatives as entirely free of risks. None of them, including SybrSafe, is completely "safe" … they all interact with DNA somehow, and they could all be dangerous if ingested or absorbed.

GelRed is another way to see the DNA. You just need to put your gel in GelRed and wait extra 20 min.

GelRed and GelGreen are the safest around, safer than SybrGreen.

Gel red is safe and effective

SyBr Gold is also a good alternative. You get nice resolved bands. you incubate your gel for 20mins on shaker at room temp.

Nancy dye from sigma is very effective and safe.

GelRed biotim is good for routine PCR conventional

GelRed not not carcinogenic as EtBr thus safe for routine use. However, it is a bit expensive. Just like EtBr, you can incorporate it in molten Agarose before casting your gel.

Alternatives DNA revelators as SybrSafe and GelRed are not entirely safe, since they are also intercalling agent. No? Since they interract with DNA molecule, they could be dangerous. Differences are:

1/ SybrSafe is more safe than EtBr because we can visualize DNA without using UV light, witch is also dangerous for skin. However, SybrSafe is photosensitive and more expensive than EtBr.

2/ GelRed is more sensitive than EtBr so we can use it more diluted, but the longevity of the staining bath decreases rapidly if there are many users in the laboratory.

So try to find a compromise between security price and sensitivity.

I really like GelRed. It is environmentally friendly and sensitive. The resolution is really good. You can use it by incorporating it in the gel rather that staining the gel after electrophoresis.

GelRed works very well for most applications. The only issue is that some times the migration of DNA fragments on GelRed after restriction enzyme digest is often aberrant. To run DNA fragments on a gel following restriction enzyme digest I still use EtBr; for everything else I use GelRed.

We've been using GelRed for 3 years now and we're happy with it.

we use Midori Green and it works well for most of the applications

In my opinion, GelRed (Biotium) is the best alternative to EtBr. In fact, this reagent is more sensitive than EtBr and you can use it more diluted, although you must to keep in dark

We use GelRed (Biotium

We use Gelred (Biotium) and are very happy with it. You have to use lower amounts of DNA and RNA to get a fine staining and it does not cross cell membranes, which is why it is much less toxic than ETBr.

Gel red from invitrogen works great for us.

I think that the midori green (http://www.nippongenetics.eu/dnarna-electrophoresis/dna-stains/midori-green-dna-stain/) represents a very good option.

Please find as attached file my lab report.

I am using Gelred which develops sharp bend.As its non-carcinogenic so user friendly too.