One of the most important critical aspects of any RNA isolation protocol is to prevent degradation of the RNA. When using NucleoSpin RNA Plus cells and tissues are first lysed by incubation in a chaotropic ion lysis buffer solution, which immediately inactivates RNases. The lysate is added to the NucleoSpin gDNA Removal Column (yellow rings) to clarify the lysate and to remove contaminating gDNA without the need for a DNase I step. After the addition of the Binding Solution to the flow-through, the RNA is bound to the NucleoSpin RNA Plus Column (light blue rings). Two subsequent wash steps remove salts, metabolites, and macromolecular cellular components. High-quality RNA is eluted with RNase-free H₂O.

RNA was isolated from HeLa cells (5 x 10⁶) and mouse kidney (20 mg) with the NucleoSpin RNA Plus (blue) and competitor Q's kit (red). The RNA recovery was quantified by qRT-PCR. The C_T values are same or lower for MN, indicating similar or better yield for the MN kit.

NucleoSpin RNA Plus (blue) and competitor Q's kit (red) were used for the isolation of RNA from HeLa cells (5 x 10⁶) and mouse kidney (20 mg). Residual genomic DNA was measured by qPCR. The MN kit shows higher C_T values indicating more efficient removal of genomic DNA.

The RNA integrity number (RIN) provides a numerical assessment of the quality of RNA samples, it is based on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the most degraded and 10 being the most intact. To compare the quatity of RNA produced using NucleoSpin RNA Plus (blue) and Competitor Q's kit (red) RNA from mouse kidney tissue (10 mg) was isolated and amounts were analyzed using an Agilent Bioanalyzer to determine the RIN. The RIN value from RNA purified using NucleoSpin RNA Plus was far higher, indicating better quality RNA.