Determination of nucleic acids at nanogram level using resonance light scattering technique with Congo Red

Based on the enhancement of the resonance light scattering (RLS) of Congo Red (CR) by nucleic acid, a new quantitative method for nucleic acid is developed. In the Tris-HCl buffer (pH 10.5), the weak light scattering of CR is greatly enhanced by addition of nucleic acid and CTMAB, the maximum peak is at 560 nm and the enhanced intensity of RLS is in proportion to the concentration of nucleic acid. The linear range is 1.0×10−9 to 1.0×10−6 g ml−1, 7.5×10−8 to 1.0×10−6 g ml−1 and 7.5×10−8 to 2.5×10−6 g ml−1 for herring sperm DNA, calf thymus DNA and yeast RNA, and the detection limits are 0.019, 0.89 and 1.2 ng ml−1 (S/N = 3), respectively. Actual biological samples were satisfactorily determined.