Ethidium bromide 

Ethidium bromide (EtBr) is the most commonly used nucleic acid stain for PAGE or agarose gel electrophoresis and is available in several forms including a 10 mg/ml solution, 10 or 100 mg tablets or as a powder. The tablets and the solution help to decrease exposure to a potentially toxic chemical. Ethidium bromide intercalates double-stranded DNA and RNA. The fluorescence of EtBr increases 21-fold upon binding to double-stranded RNA and 25-fold on binding double-stranded DNA so that destaining the background is not necessary with a low stain concentration (10 μg/ml). Ethidium bromide has been used in a number of fluorimetric assays for nucleic acids. It has been shown to bind to single-stranded DNA (although not as strongly) and triple-stranded DNA.

Ethidium Bromide is a nucleic acid intercalating agent and frameshift mutagen. It can also be used in conjunction with acridine orange to differentiate between viable, apoptotic and necrotic cells.

Intercalating agent and fluorescent label for DNA. Review¹; Destruction and decontamination of solutions²

For staining a gel after electrophoresis, dilute a sample of the stock solution to 0.5 μg/ml with water and incubate the gel for 15-30 min. Destaining is usually not needed but can be carried out in water for 15 min if decreased background is necessary. The DNA bands can then be detected on a UV light box (254 nm wavelength). Ethidium bromide can also be incorporated into the gel and running buffer at 0.5 μg/ml and visualized immediately after electrophoresis.

for fluorescence

BioChemika

≥95.0% (HPLC)

λ_ex 530 nm; λ_em 600 nm in 50 mM phosphate buffer pH 7.0 (upon binding to DNA)

260-262 °C (dec.)(lit.)

~260 °C

H₂O: 10 mg/mL, opaque, strongly red

1. W. Warring Antibiotics III, 141, (1975)

2. G. Lunn, E.B. Sansone Anal. Biochem. 162, 453, (1987) abstract

Sambrook, J. Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual Cold Spring Harbor, , (1989) 6-44, 6

Moore, S.P. , Sutherland, B.M., A densitometric nondestructive microassay for DNA quantitation. Anal. Biochem. 144, 15, (1985)

Karsten, U. , Wollenberger, A., Improvements in the ethidium bromide method for direct fluorometric estimation of DNA and RNA in cell and tissue homogenates. Anal. Biochem. 77, 464, (1977)

Gorman, A. Techniques in Apoptosis: A User’s Guide London, UK , (1996), 7

Bauer, W. , Vinograd, J., Interaction of closed circular DNA with intercalative dyes. II. The Free energy of superhelix formation in V40 DNA. Mol. Biol. 47, 410, (1970)

Scaria, P.V. , Shafer, R.H., Binding of ethidium bromide to a DNA triple helix. Evidence for intercalation. J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5417, (1991)

El-Hamalawi, A., The fluorometric determination of nucleic acids in pea seeds by use of ethidium bromide complexes. Anal. Biochem. 67, 384, (1975)

Severini, A. , Morgan, A.R., An assay for proteinases and their inhibitors based on DNA/ethidium bromide fluorescence. Anal. Biochem. 193, 83, (1991)

Merck 13,4751

Beil. 22,V,11,352

Aldrich MSDS 1, 864:C / Corp MSDS 1 (1), 1549:B / FT-IR 2 (3), 3935:C / FT-IR 1 (2), 873:B / IR-Spectra (3), 1399:A / IR-Spectra (2), 1220:B / RegBook 1 (2), 2635:A / Sax 6, 885 / Sigma FT-IR 1 (2), 136:D / Stains and Dyes Ref, 318 / Structure Index 1, 415:E:4

UN2811 6.1/PG 1

3

SF7950000