Zeolite-derived magnetic nanocomposites as an alternative to commercial systems for RNA extraction in pediatric bronchiolitis

BACKGROUND: The isolation of DNA or RNA is a crucial step that must be carried out before many biochemical and diagnostic procedures can be performed. To date, several methods have been developed for the purification of biological entities. The most common magnetic materials/systems used in biological separations involve the use of nanoparticles with an iron oxide core. However, the use of such systems for the separation of nucleic acids from biological fluids does not seem to be free of problems. It required laborious, multi-step and lengthy procedures, skilled chemists and expensive reactants. Such considerations explain the growing demand for alternative techniques. A patented process developed by some of us, could be used for the production of reliable magnetic adsorbents. The process uses commercially available zeolites as raw materials and the final product is a metal-ceramic nanocomposite. The same metal-ceramic nanocomposites, which have magnetic properties, have already been successfully used for a wide range of applications. The aim of this study was to compare RNA extraction from blood samples from pediatric patients with RSV bronchiolitis extracted with the manual commercial Promega ReliaPrep silica column kit and a manual protocol using magnetic nanocomposites derived from zeolite.METHODS: Thirty pediatrics bronchiolitis patients and 10 healthy pediatrics control. Each sample was extracted in duplicate, with both automated extraction and nanocomposites extraction. These extracts were compared in terms of yield and quality, measured by traditional UV spectroscopy, and amplifiability, the latter measured by evaluating the results obtained from type 1 interferon signature with real-time PCR.RESULTS: The zeolite-derived nanocomposite method for RNA extraction yielded a higher RNA quantity compared to the commercial magnetic silica bead kit (Promega), although with lower purity and amplification efficiency. Nevertheless, both extraction methods consistently confirmed the interferon signature data.CONCLUSIONS: Although the zeolite-based method produced higher RNA yields, residual contaminants likely compromised RNA purity and reduced amplification efficiency compared to the commercial kit. Nonetheless, the final IFN score was comparable between methods. Ongoing optimizations aim to improve nanocomposite purity and amplification efficiency, highlighting their potential as low-cost alternatives to commercial magnetic systems for diagnostic and research applications.