Forensic Pathological Diagnosis of Acute and Old Myocardial Infarction Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Spectroscopy
• Forensic Pathology
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Myocardial infarction (MI) diagnosis, especially differentiating acute from old cases, is crucial in forensic pathology.
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) offers a non-destructive method for biochemical analysis of tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of FTIR spectroscopy for the forensic pathology diagnosis of acute and old myocardial infarction.
• To analyze FTIR spectral differences in myocardial tissues at various stages of pathological change.

Main Methods:

• FTIR spectra were collected from myocardial tissues (normal, early ischemic, necrotic, fibrous) from atherosclerotic heart disease patients and controls.
• Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining were used as references.
• Multivariate statistical analysis, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), was applied.

Main Results:

• Second derivative FTIR spectra showed significant differences between myocardial tissue types.
• Alterations in protein secondary structures (e.g., α-helix content) and amide band peaks were observed in ischemic and necrotic tissues.
• FTIR analysis, aided by PCA and PLS-DA, successfully distinguished between different myocardial tissue types.

Conclusions:

• FTIR spectroscopy demonstrates potential as a diagnostic tool for acute and old myocardial infarction in forensic pathology.
• This technique provides a novel basis for investigating the causes of sudden cardiac death related to myocardial infarction.