Laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of triacylglycerols and other components in fingermark samples.
The chemical composition of fingermarks could potentially be important for determining investigative leads, placing individuals at the time of a crime, and has applications as biomarkers of disease. Fingermark samples containing triacylglycerols (TAGs) and other components were analyzed using laser desorption/ionization (LDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF MS). Only LDI appeared to be useful for this application while conventional matrix-assisted LDI-TOF MS was not. Tandem MS was used to identify/confirm selected TAGs. A limited gender comparison, based on a simple t-distribution and peaks intensities, indicated that two TAGs showed gender specificity at the 95% confidence level and two others at 97.5% confidence. Because gender-related TAGs differences were most often close to the standard deviation of the measurements, the majority of the TAGs showed no gender specificity. Thus, LDI-TOF MS is not a reliable indicator of gender based on fingermark analysis. Cosmetic ingredients present in some samples were identified.
Department of Chemistry, University of Arkansas, 345 N. Campus Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
Beth
B
Emerson
Jennifer
J
Gidden
Jackson O
JO
Lay
Bill
B
Durham
D000328:Adult; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000737:chemistry; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000032:analysis*
D003358:Cosmetics; D005227:Fatty Acids; D014280:Triglycerides