Hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase: A biomarker for authentication of death from mechanical asphyxia

Death from mechanical asphyxia (DMA) refers to death from acute respiratory disorder caused by mechanical violence. Due to the absence of characteristic signs in corpses, it has been rather challenging to achieve the precise authentication of DMA. In this research, human pulmonary samples were collected and grouped according to different causes of death in search of potential biomarkers of DMA. Hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HADH) was identified significantly up-regulated in DMA group. Cell experiments were conducted to figure out the mechanism of the up-regulation of HADH. According to the results, we assumed acute and severe hypoxia caused by mechanical asphyxia contributed to the expression change of HADH, which could be a self-saving reaction of cells that are forced to adjust energy metabolism. Generally, HADH can be biomarker of DMA and help the precise authentication of DMA.