Estimation of postmortem metabolic changes in porcine brain tissue using 1H-MR spectroscopy--preliminary results.
To investigate the potential for estimating the time since death by monitoring the evolution of different metabolites in brain tissue by (1)H-MRS, an animal model using pig heads was established. The maximum examination interval was 3 weeks. Within this time interval spectra revealed different compositions of metabolites, including metabolites observed in the normal brain and as products of bacterial decomposition processes (N-acetyl-aspartate 0-130 h, creatine 0-170 h, bound trimethylammonium, e. g. choline compounds, during the whole time course with fluctuating intensities, lactate 0-200 h, alanine and acetate during the whole time course, succinate and free trimethylammonium after approx. 100 h postmortem). The proposed approach may offer a new method to estimate later postmortem intervals although these observations have to be confirmed by further studies.
Banaschak
S
S
Institute of Legal Medicine, Fürstengraben 23, 07743 Jena, Germany. Sibylle.Banaschak@med.uni-jena.de
Rzanny
R
R
Reichenbach
J R
JR
Kaiser
W A
WA
Klein
A
A
D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D023421:Models, Animal; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D013552:Swine
D000085:Acetates; D000596:Amino Acids; D019344:Lactic Acid; D002794:Choline