A biocompatible and recyclable ionic liquid platform for long-term and high temperature plant RNA stabilization

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• RNA is vital but highly susceptible to degradation, limiting analytical reliability.
• Elevated temperatures accelerate RNA degradation, compromising downstream applications.
• Existing RNA stabilizers are insufficient for complex, heterogeneous RNA like total plant RNA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a biocompatible and reusable platform for stabilizing total plant RNA.
• To identify effective ionic liquids for RNA protection across various temperatures.
• To enable reliable RNA analysis from field samples and long-term storage.

Main Methods:

• Evaluation of various choline-based aqueous ionic liquid (IL) solutions.
• Testing stabilization efficacy at different temperatures (ambient, 40°C, 70-90°C).
• Assessing RNA integrity and purity after IL treatment and recycling.

Main Results:

• 20% choline glutamate effectively stabilized total plant RNA against thermal degradation.
• RNA integrity was maintained at levels comparable to controls, even after heating to 80-90°C.
• The IL platform demonstrated recyclability for at least five cycles without loss of efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Choline glutamate offers a practical, scalable solution for preserving total plant RNA.
• This IL-based platform supports long-term storage and field sampling under diverse temperature conditions.
• Recyclable ILs enable sustainable, low-waste workflows for complex biological sample analysis.