Abstract: Human tissue samples soaked in formaldehyde solution are rare resources in many cases, and the extraction of their DNA is a challenging issue. In this paper, genomic DNA was extracted from four formalin soaked human embryo skin and muscle samples by using an improved method for extracting genomic DNA from samples soaked in formaldehyde solution and a generic genomic DNA extraction kit. The purity and concentration of extracted DNA were determined by UV spectrophotometry, and the DNA solution was subjected to agarose gel electrophoresis and imaging. The results showed that the concentration and purity of genomic DNA obtained by the improved extraction method were better than those obtained by the general method. PCR amplification was carried out with the extracted genomic DNA template. Electrophoresis results showed that the improved extraction method had better PCR amplification effect. Our study provides methodological guidance and a reference for the direction of improvement for the extraction of genomic DNA from precious samples soaked in formaldehyde solution.
Key words: formaldehyde immersion; human tissue samples; DNA extraction; PCR detection; agarose gel electrophoresis
（Acta Laser Biology Sinica, 2022, 31(2): 188-192）