PAGE GelRed® is a non-toxic, non-mutagenic red DNA gel stain specifically designed to stain DNA in polyacrylamide gels. PAGE GelRed® can be imaged using a 254 nm UV transilluminator with an ethidium bromide filter. While PAGE GelRed® also can be used to stain DNA in agarose gels, Biotium's original GelRed® nucleic acid gel stain is more sensitive for agarose gel applications. PAGE GelRed® can be removed from DNA after agarose gel staining using commonly available gel extraction kits. PAGE GelRed® is 6-8 times more sensitive for dsDNA over RNA. PAGE GelRed® was subjected to a series of tests at Biotium and two independent laboratories to assess the dye's safety for routine handling and disposal. Laboratory tests show that the dye is impenetrable to latex or nitrile gloves and cell membranes. Unlike the highly mutagenic EtBr and the reportedly mutation-enhancing SYBR® Green I, PAGE GelRed® is non-toxic and non-mutagenic in bacterial AMES tests at concentrations well above the working concentrations used in gel staining. PAGE GelRed® successfully passed environmental safety tests in compliance with CCR Title 22 Hazardous Waste Characterization, under which it is classified as non-hazardous waste. PAGE GelRed® is available as a ready-to-use staining solution at 1X in water, or a concentrated dye solution at 10,000X in water.
