FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF POSTMORTEM BLOOD AND ITS POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE

What is it about?

The introduction of biochemical methods of postmortem blood tests increases the degree of differential diagnosis between different types and conditions of death. In order to identify the peculiarities of the fatty acid composition of postmortem blood and to assess its relevance for identifying the human condition immediately before the death, we studied the fatty acid composition of plasma and erythrocytes of the blood of people who died in hospital. It was found that the composition of fatty acids in postmortem blood plasma was similar to the respective composition of blood plasma of patients in critical condition. In both cases, there was a significant increase in the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids in blood plasma. The revealed features of changes in the composition of fatty acids indicate that the high level of fatty acid flow from fat depots into the bloodstream. At the same time, the blood plasma gets more and more monounsaturated fatty acids, because they quantitatively prevail in human fat depots. Considering that the degree of changes in fatty acid composition in different postmortem blood plasma samples was different, we can assume that the extent of these changes and the level of increase in the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids is determined by the degree of severe condition of the person before the death. In this case, the smallest changes should be observed in sudden death, which was not preceded by a sufficiently long period including severe and terminal conditions. The analyzed postmortem erythrocytes also showed a significant increase in the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids, higher than the corresponding increase in the erythrocytes of critically ill patients. This increase may indicate a loss of the ability of erythrocytes to maintain the structural and functional properties of their membranes and be one of the reasons for active postmortem erythrocyte hemolysis.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Analysis of blood fatty acid composition can be used to evaluate the human condition before the lethal outcome, as well as to study the processes related to premortem and postmortem changes in tissues.