Forensic metabolomics: Tracing cyanide-induced metabolic changes in fatalities.

Autor: Ariza-Garcia WA; Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Risaralda, CPA 660003, Pereira, Colombia; Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses (INML y CF), Pereira, Risaralda 660001, Colombia., Pardo-Rodriguez D; Metabolomics Core Facility-MetCore, Vice-Presidency for Research, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia., Guerrero Alvarez GE; Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Risaralda, CPA 660003, Pereira, Colombia., Taborda-Ocampo G; Grupo de Investigación en Cromatografía y Técnicas Afines (GICTA), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 # 26-10, Manizales 170004, Colombia., Rosero-Moreano M; Grupo de Investigación en Cromatografía y Técnicas Afines (GICTA), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 # 26-10, Manizales 170004, Colombia., Cala MP; Metabolomics Core Facility-MetCore, Vice-Presidency for Research, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia. Electronic address: mp.cala10@uniandes.edu.co.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Forensic science international [Forensic Sci Int] 2025 Feb; Vol. 367, pp. 112350. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 17.
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112350
Abstrakt: Accurate detection of cyanide exposure is crucial, particularly in forensic science. However, cyanide's high volatility and potential biochemical conversions in biological samples pose challenges for direct detection, complicating the determination of cause of death. Identifying alternative cyanide metabolites as markers may mitigate false negatives and positives, extending the detection window in poisoning cases. This study aimed to evaluate metabolic changes induced by cyanide exposure in forensic cases using a multi-platform approach, including metabolomics and lipidomics analyses via liquid and gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Results demonstrated clear discrimination between cyanide-exposed and control groups through OPLS-DA models. A total of 92 altered metabolites were identified in cyanide-exposed individuals compared to controls. Significant changes in metabolites primarily included glycerophospholipids (30.7 %), glycerolipids (14 %), fatty acyls (12.9 %), sphingolipids (8.0 %), amino acids and analogs (8.0 %), among others. Cyanide intoxication disrupted multiple metabolic pathways, including mitochondrial β-oxidation, acylcarnitine accumulation, a shift towards gluconeogenesis in amino acid metabolism, and ammonia homeostasis disturbance, affecting both ammonia recycling and the urea cycle. These pathways are essential for cellular energy production. The altered metabolic profiles provide insight into cyanide poisoning pathways, potentially aiding the development of new forensic diagnostic strategies. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to assess each model's predictive value. Findings suggest that metabolites such as phosphate and 3-hydroxybutyric acid could serve as diagnostic biomarkers in lethal cyanide poisoning cases. Future studies must evaluate these potential biomarkers' effectiveness in different fatal victim cohorts and validate the suggested panel through a targeted approach.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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