Impact of Sonication Washing on Nuclei Counts in Hair Roots

The study investigated the impact of sonication washing on the persistence of nuclei in hair roots, which is crucial for DNA extraction. Hair roots with fewer than 50 visible nuclei were primarily used to assess changes in nuclei count after sonication in Terg-a-zyme™. The study found that sonication might reduce the number of nuclei available for DNA extraction and short tandem repeat (STR) typing, particularly in hair roots with fewer nuclei. For laboratories focusing solely on nuclear DNA analysis, a less aggressive washing method, such as low-speed vortexing in saline followed by an ethanol rinse, is recommended to preserve nuclei.