Isolation of DNA from Saliva and Cheek Cells Using Household Chemicals

Saliva is a feasible specimen used in sample collection for research purposes. It is reported that saliva typically contains ~430,000 epithelial cells per mL. There are various cost-effective methods and commercial kits available which are used to extract DNA from saliva. However, this study aims to explore a simple, time-saving and cheap method of DNA extraction using daily life household chemicals without the help of any electronic equipment. This protocol utilizes pineapple juice which contains bromelain enzyme as a proteolytic agent and dishwashing liquid as a detergent to rupture the cell membrane and remove the contamination. It takes approximately 10-15 min for the completion of extraction procedure. Results have indicated the good quality of DNA by gel electrophoresis and good yield with purity of 1.7-1.8 optical density. Thus, this method serves as a simple, convenient, easy-to-handle, time-saving, cheap and less laborious way for the extraction of DNA in daily routine practices with a good precision of quality and quantity that could be used for diagnostic purposes.