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Blood versus bone marrow isopropanol concentrations in rabbits
Forensic Science International
|July 1, 1982
Summary
Bone marrow can predict blood isopropanol levels, even with contamination or unavailability of blood samples. Adjusting for lipid content improves accuracy, with ratios remaining stable postmortem.
Area of Science:
- Forensic toxicology
- Clinical chemistry
- Animal research
Background:
- Accurate blood isopropanol concentration is crucial in forensic and clinical settings.
- Blood sample integrity can be compromised by contamination or unavailability.
- Bone marrow offers a potential alternative matrix for toxicological analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of bone marrow as an alternative matrix for determining isopropanol and acetone concentrations.
- To assess the influence of postmortem factors (time, temperature) and specimen characteristics (lipid content) on blood/marrow analyte ratios.
Main Methods:
- Isopropanol and acetone concentrations were measured in blood and bone marrow of rabbits at various postmortem intervals (0, 4, 24 hours).
- Blood/marrow ratios were calculated and analyzed for correlations with lipid content, postmortem time, and storage temperature.
- Marrow acetone concentrations were assessed considering endogenous production from isopropanol metabolism.
Main Results:
- Lipid content significantly influenced blood/marrow isopropanol ratios; correction for lipids improved correlation.
- The blood/marrow isopropanol ratio (1.45 +/- 0.17) was stable across postmortem times and temperatures.
- Blood/marrow acetone ratios showed linearity but were significantly affected by storage temperature and postmortem delay.
Conclusions:
- Bone marrow isopropanol concentrations, when corrected for lipid content, can reliably predict blood isopropanol levels.
- Marrow acetone concentrations are not suitable for predicting blood acetone levels due to variability influenced by storage and postmortem conditions.