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Determination of Time since Death using Vitreous Humor Tryptophan.

Niha Ansari1, Shobhana K Menon1

  • 1Department of Forensic Science, School of Sciences, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380009, India.

Journal of Forensic Sciences
|February 10, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Forensic scientists can now accurately estimate time since death (TSD) by measuring vitreous humor (VH) tryptophan levels. This method offers high accuracy for TSD determination up to 90 hours postmortem.

Keywords:
forensic scienceo-phthalaldehydepostmortem intervaltime since deathtryptophanvitreous humor

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Area of Science:

  • Forensic Science
  • Biochemistry
  • Analytical Chemistry

Background:

  • Accurate determination of time since death (TSD) is crucial in forensic investigations for suspect identification and victim identification.
  • Existing methods for TSD estimation have limitations, necessitating the development of more precise techniques.
  • Vitreous humor (VH) is a postmortem fluid that can provide valuable biochemical markers for TSD estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of vitreous humor (VH) tryptophan fluorescence for determining time since death (TSD).
  • To establish a reliable and accurate fluorometric method for TSD estimation using o-phthalaldehyde (OPA).
  • To correlate VH tryptophan levels with known TSD in a controlled study.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of vitreous humor (VH) samples from 76 cadavers with known TSD (3-90 hours).
  • Utilized o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) to induce fluorescence in tryptophan.
  • Employed fluorometric techniques to quantify tryptophan concentrations.
  • Statistical analysis to determine the correlation between VH tryptophan and TSD.

Main Results:

  • A highly sensitive fluorometric method with a detection limit of 8 ppb was developed.
  • A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between VH tryptophan concentration and TSD (R² = 0.9590).
  • The proposed method accurately predicted TSD up to 90 hours with no systematic error.

Conclusions:

  • VH tryptophan fluorescence, measured using OPA, is a sensitive and accurate biomarker for TSD determination.
  • The developed regression equation ([Trp] = 2.21 + 2.98 * TSD) provides a reliable tool for forensic practitioners.
  • This fluorometric approach offers a valuable advancement in postmortem interval estimation.