Post-mortem interval estimation using miRNAs of road traffic accident cases: A forensic molecular approach |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Pathology, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, India;2. Department of Prosthodontics, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, India;3. Department of Pathology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India;4. Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, India;5. Department of Biochemistry, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, India;1. Centre for Forensic Science, Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Ellison Building, NE1 8ST Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom;2. Northumbria Sport, Northumbria University, NE1 8ST Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom;3. King’s Forensics, Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King’s College London, SE1 9NH London, United Kingdom;1. University of Texas Southwestern, 1801 Inwood Rd, Dallas, TX 75390-9132, USA;2. Friendly Foot Care, PC, 50 W. 94th Place, Crown Point, IN, USA;3. Former Research Scholar, Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, 160014, Chandigarh, India;4. Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Medical College Building, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005, India;5. Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India;1. Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, Australia;2. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia;3. Centre for the Forensic Sciences, Department of Security and Crime Science, University College London, UK |
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| Abstract: | In forensic examination accurate estimation of post-mortem interval (PMI) is a challenging task, particularly in the advanced stages of decomposition. The existing methods (algor mortis, livor mortis, rigor mortis, putrefaction etc) used for estimating PMI rely on analyzing the physical, biochemical, and metabolic changes that occur in the corpse after death. While these methods have shown some level of effectiveness in estimating PMI during the early stages of decomposition, accurate estimation becomes increasingly challenging during the later stages of putrefaction when the body undergoes significant changes. Recently, microRNA (miRNA) profiling due to its relatively small size and stability has emerged as a promising tool in several areas of forensics. This study demonstrates the potential of miRNA for PMI estimation in advanced stages of death. In this study, miRNA-195, miRNA-206, and miRNA-378 were selected as target miRNAs and miRNA-1 as reference miRNA. Left ventricle tissue (5 g) of the heart from 20 forensic autopsies of traffic accident victims (18–32 years) were collected and processed. The samples were held at room temperature for eight different time intervals (12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 168 and 196 h), and RNA was extracted from all the samples using Trizol-based RNA isolation protocol, followed by cDNA synthesis and amplification with commercially available specific miRNA probes in Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR), Ct was calculated. The result showed that miRNAs were associated with PMI. Over time, there were substantial changes in the Ct values of all three miRNAs, with significant reductions observed at 196 h compared to 12 h. miRNA-206 demonstrated significant changes at multiple time intervals, while miRNA-1 remained stable for up to 196 h and thus holds caas an endogenous marker. In conclusion, miRNA has the potential to serve as a valuable tool for estimating PMI, especially during the advanced stages of decomposition, when used in conjunction with established techniques. However, further validation of the study is required to obtain more accurate estimates of PMI. |
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| Keywords: | MicroRNA (miRNA) Post-mortem interval (PMI) Road traffic accident (RTA) Forensic science Molecular forensic |
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