Measurement of acrolein concentrations in postmortem specimens as an indicator for stroke diagnosis

Acrolein, a polyamine produced from spermine during brain infarction, has recently been used in clinical settings for brain infarction risk assessment. However, few studies have investigated the diagnostic usefulness of acrolein measurement in postmortem specimens. In this study, we measured the acrolein concentration in postmortem specimens to assess its potential as a marker for stroke diagnosis. Acrolein concentrations in the serum and urine were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 25, 19, 21, and 93 brain infarction, subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage, and control cases, respectively. No correlations or significant differences were observed between the acrolein concentrations in blood or urine, age, time since death, or sex. However, the serum acrolein concentrations increased significantly in cases of brain infarction, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and cerebral hemorrhage compared with non-stroke cases, with diagnostic cutoff values of 117.1, 119.9, and 130.3 nmol/mL, respectively. Conversely, the urinary acrolein concentrations decreased in specimens from subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral hemorrhage cases, suggesting dilution due to higher urine volumes. In conclusion, our findings suggest that serum acrolein concentration remains unaffected by the time elapsed after death. Moreover, the measurement of serum acrolein in postmortem specimens is effective in diagnosing stroke.