Quantification of carbon monoxide (CO) in postmortem human brain tissues after CO poisoning.

In this study, we aimed to quantify carbon monoxide (CO) in human brain tissue to better understand the toxic mechanisms of CO poisoning. Currently, conventional CO measurement methods are limited; however, the hemoCD assay has proven to be a simple and rapid method for quantifying CO in human tissues. Using this method, CO concentrations were measured in various brain regions, revealing significantly higher CO concentrations in the CO-exposed group (approximately 30-50 pmol/mg) compared to the non-exposed group (approximately 20-30 pmol/mg). However, the absence of region-specific elevation suggests that CO inhalation is not selectively associated with brain areas with high CO affinity or those that typically show abnormal MRI signals during CO intoxication. The observed difference of 10-20 pmol/mg between the CO-exposed and non-exposed groups suggests that an additional 10-20 pmol/mg of external CO may represent a lethal dose, potentially causing death. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the elucidation of the pathogenesis of CO poisoning and ultimately aid in the development of effective treatment strategies.