School of Forensic Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China.
Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830011, China.
Molecules. 2024 Nov 5;29(22):5221. doi: 10.3390/molecules29225221.
Drug and toxin-related deaths are common worldwide, making it essential to detect the postmortem concentration of various toxic substances at different stages of decomposition in a corpse. Indeed, determining the postmortem interval (PMI) and cause of death in an advanced stage of decomposed corpses has been a significant challenge in forensic investigations. Notably, the presence of drugs or toxins can have a significant impact on the microbial profile, potentially altering the succession of microbial communities and subsequent production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which, in turn, affect insect colonization patterns. This review aims to highlight the importance of investigating the interactions between drugs or toxins, microbial succession, VOC profiles, and insect behavior, which can provide valuable insights into forensic investigations as well as the ecological consequences of toxins occurring in decomposition. Overall, the detection of drugs and other toxins at different stages of decomposition can yield more precise forensic evidence, thereby enhancing the accuracy of PMI estimation and determination of the cause of death in decomposed remains.
药物和毒素相关的死亡在全球范围内很常见，因此检测尸体在不同分解阶段的各种有毒物质的死后浓度至关重要。事实上，在尸体高度腐烂的情况下确定死后时间间隔（PMI）和死因一直是法医调查中的重大挑战。值得注意的是，药物或毒素的存在会对微生物群产生重大影响，可能改变微生物群落的演替过程以及随后产生的挥发性有机化合物（VOC），而这反过来又会影响昆虫的定殖模式。本综述旨在强调研究药物或毒素、微生物演替、VOC 谱和昆虫行为之间相互作用的重要性，这可为法医调查以及毒素在分解过程中产生的生态后果提供有价值的见解。总的来说，在不同的分解阶段检测药物和其他毒素可以提供更精确的法医证据，从而提高 PMI 估计的准确性以及确定高度腐烂尸体的死因。
