Bhoyar Lina, Mehar Palash, Chavali Krishnadutt
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, Chhattisgarh (C.G), India.
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, Chhattisgarh (C.G), India.
J Forensic Leg Med. 2025 Jan;109:102801. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2025.102801. Epub 2025 Jan 6.
Accurate post-mortem interval estimation is crucial in forensic investigations, providing essential information for criminal cases. Traditional techniques frequently encounter inaccuracies stemming from environmental and individual variables. The comet assay is a very sensitive technique that detects DNA damage, which has emerged as a promising tool for assessing DNA degradation. This approach can serve as a molecular clock for post-mortem interval estimation, offering a more precise and reliable means of determining the time since death in forensic cases. This systematic review was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO-CRD42024554907) and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards. An extensive electronic database search, including Google Scholar, Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus was conducted to find the studies utilizing the comet assay for DNA degradation measurement in post-mortem interval estimation. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data from eligible studies. The risk of bias tool from the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation was used to evaluate the quality of the research. All six studies fulfilled the inclusion requirements, employing the comet assay on various animal tissues. Studies show a clear relationship between post-mortem interval and degradation of DNA, with varying rates depending on tissue type and environmental factors. The comet assay can detect DNA fragmentation effectively, but difficulties arise from variations in study designs and methodologies. Despite its promise for estimating post-mortem interval, the standardization of protocols is needed to improve reliability and applicability in forensics. Future research should establish standardized methods and explore environmental impacts on DNA degradation.
准确估计死后间隔时间在法医调查中至关重要，可为刑事案件提供重要信息。传统技术常常因环境和个体变量而出现不准确的情况。彗星试验是一种检测DNA损伤的非常灵敏的技术，已成为评估DNA降解的一种有前景的工具。这种方法可作为死后间隔时间估计的分子时钟，为法医案件中确定死亡时间提供更精确可靠的手段。本系统评价已在国际前瞻性系统评价注册库（PROSPERO-CRD42024554907）注册，并遵循系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）标准。进行了广泛的电子数据库搜索，包括谷歌学术、Embase、科学网、PubMed和Scopus，以查找利用彗星试验测量死后间隔时间中DNA降解的研究。两名评价者独立筛选并从符合条件的研究中提取数据。使用实验室动物实验系统评价中心的偏倚风险工具来评估研究质量。所有六项研究均符合纳入要求，对各种动物组织进行了彗星试验。研究表明死后间隔时间与DNA降解之间存在明确关系，降解速率因组织类型和环境因素而异。彗星试验能够有效检测DNA片段化，但研究设计和方法的差异带来了困难。尽管其在估计死后间隔时间方面具有前景，但仍需要对方案进行标准化以提高在法医学中的可靠性和适用性。未来的研究应建立标准化方法并探索环境对DNA降解的影响。
