title: Postmortem stability of some markers of intra-vital wounds.
abstract: We have studied the diagnostic value of several markers of the intra-vital nature of wounds - cathepsin D (EC 3.4.23.5) and ions (Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn and Fe) - after the influence of putrefaction. For this purpose, we have inflicted vital wounds to six pigs, which were killed 20 min later. Ten minutes after death, wounds were excised with 5-6 cm of skin around the incision and maintained at three different temperatures (4, 18 and 28.5 +/- 13.4 degrees C). After varying periods of postmortem interval from 0 to 48 h, aliquots of each wound were taken and analyzed with atomic absorption spectrophotometry for ions and with UV-spectrophotometry for cathepsin D. Our results demonstrate that ions conserve their diagnostic ability to differentiate vital from postmortem wounds after the influence of putrefaction. Nevertheless, cathepsin D does not show this ability in these experimental conditions.
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Medicina Legal, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Girela
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hernández-Cueto
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lorente
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Villanueva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000032:analysis; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D007477:Ions / Q000032:analysis*; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis; D008274:Magnesium / Q000032:analysis; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012867:Skin / Q000032:analysis*; D013552:Swine; D013696:Temperature; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D002402:Cathepsin D; D008274:Magnesium; D015032:Zinc; D002118:Calcium