Ricerc@Sapienza

Chronothanatology has always been a challenge in forensic sciences. Therefore, the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for the characterization of matrices (organs, tissues, or fluids) that respond linearly to the postmortem interval (PMI) is emerging increasingly. The vitreous humor is particularly suitable for studies aimed at assessing time-related modifications because it is topographically isolated and well-protected.

In this work, a novel multiway approach by spectroscopy and thermogravimetry associated with chemometrics is developed, providing a multiparametric characterization of vitreous humor as a function of the time since death. Estimation of the precise time since death was performed on hospital deaths occurred in casualty, by medico-legal and post mortem examination, with no metabolic disorders. Micro and macro elements in vitreous specimens were determined by ICP-OES and were found to be diagnostic in predicting the post mortem interval (PMI).