Estimation of chronologic age using the aspartic acid racemization method. II. On human cortical bone

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Biochemistry
• Anthropology

Background:

• Aspartic acid racemization is an established method for age estimation in adult tissues like teeth and cartilage.
• The availability of teeth and cartilage can be limited in forensic and archaeological contexts.
• Preliminary data suggests age-related changes in bone's D/L aspartic acid ratio.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the applicability of aspartic acid racemization for chronological age estimation using bone samples.
• To determine the accuracy and reliability of this method in different bone tissue fractions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of D/L aspartic acid ratios in bone samples from 24 individuals (0.2–95.6 years) using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
• Examination of two bone fractions: acid-soluble peptides and acid-insoluble collagen-rich material.
• Correlation analysis of D/L ratios with chronological age.

Main Results:

• Significant age-related racemization of aspartic acid was observed in both examined bone fractions.
• Correlation coefficients with age were 0.72 for the peptide fraction and 0.84 for the collagen-rich fraction.
• The collagen-rich fraction demonstrated a stronger correlation with age.

Conclusions:

• Bone tissue can be utilized for chronological age estimation using the aspartic acid racemization method.
• The method provides a valuable alternative when more conventional tissues like dentine and cartilage are inaccessible.
• The collagen-rich fraction of bone appears particularly promising for accurate age determination.