Validation of the Metabolite Ergothioneine as a Forensic Marker in Bloodstains
Ergothioneine, which is a naturally occurring metabolite, generally accumulates in tissues and cells subjected to oxidative stress, owing to its structural stability at physiological pH; therefore, it has been attracting attention in various biomedical fields. Ergothioneine has also been suggested a...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/24/8885 |
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| author | Seungyeon Lee Sora Mun You-Rim Lee Jiyeong Lee Hee-Gyoo Kang |
| author_facet | Seungyeon Lee Sora Mun You-Rim Lee Jiyeong Lee Hee-Gyoo Kang |
| author_sort | Seungyeon Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ergothioneine, which is a naturally occurring metabolite, generally accumulates in tissues and cells subjected to oxidative stress, owing to its structural stability at physiological pH; therefore, it has been attracting attention in various biomedical fields. Ergothioneine has also been suggested as a potential forensic marker, but its applicability has not yet been quantitatively validated. In this study, quantitative analysis of ergothioneine in bloodstains was conducted to estimate the age of bloodstains and that of bloodstain donors. Blood from youth and elderly participants was used to generate bloodstains. After extracting metabolites from the bloodstains under prevalent age conditions, ergothioneine levels were quantified by mass spectrometry via multiple reaction monitoring. The concentration of ergothioneine in day 0 bloodstains (fresh blood), was significantly higher in the elderly group than in the youth group, but it did not differ by sex. Statistically significant differences were observed between the samples from the two age groups on days 0, 5 and 7, and on days 2 and 3 compared with day 0. The findings suggest that ergothioneine can be used to estimate the age of bloodstains and of the donor; it could be useful as a potential marker in reconstructing crime scenes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:02:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd635797f46b4206a93e2e2a2ad5f6d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:02:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd635797f46b4206a93e2e2a2ad5f6d82023-11-24T16:59:07ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492022-12-012724888510.3390/molecules27248885Validation of the Metabolite Ergothioneine as a Forensic Marker in BloodstainsSeungyeon Lee0Sora Mun1You-Rim Lee2Jiyeong Lee3Hee-Gyoo Kang4Department of Senior Healthcare, Graduate School, Eulji University, Uijeongbu 11759, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Eulji University, Seongnam 13135, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Senior Healthcare, Graduate School, Eulji University, Uijeongbu 11759, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science, Eulji University, Uijeongbu 11759, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Senior Healthcare, Graduate School, Eulji University, Uijeongbu 11759, Republic of KoreaErgothioneine, which is a naturally occurring metabolite, generally accumulates in tissues and cells subjected to oxidative stress, owing to its structural stability at physiological pH; therefore, it has been attracting attention in various biomedical fields. Ergothioneine has also been suggested as a potential forensic marker, but its applicability has not yet been quantitatively validated. In this study, quantitative analysis of ergothioneine in bloodstains was conducted to estimate the age of bloodstains and that of bloodstain donors. Blood from youth and elderly participants was used to generate bloodstains. After extracting metabolites from the bloodstains under prevalent age conditions, ergothioneine levels were quantified by mass spectrometry via multiple reaction monitoring. The concentration of ergothioneine in day 0 bloodstains (fresh blood), was significantly higher in the elderly group than in the youth group, but it did not differ by sex. Statistically significant differences were observed between the samples from the two age groups on days 0, 5 and 7, and on days 2 and 3 compared with day 0. The findings suggest that ergothioneine can be used to estimate the age of bloodstains and of the donor; it could be useful as a potential marker in reconstructing crime scenes.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/24/8885bloodstainergothioneineforensic markermetaboliteliquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry |
| spellingShingle | Seungyeon Lee Sora Mun You-Rim Lee Jiyeong Lee Hee-Gyoo Kang Validation of the Metabolite Ergothioneine as a Forensic Marker in Bloodstains Molecules bloodstain ergothioneine forensic marker metabolite liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry |
| title | Validation of the Metabolite Ergothioneine as a Forensic Marker in Bloodstains |
| title_full | Validation of the Metabolite Ergothioneine as a Forensic Marker in Bloodstains |
| title_fullStr | Validation of the Metabolite Ergothioneine as a Forensic Marker in Bloodstains |
| title_full_unstemmed | Validation of the Metabolite Ergothioneine as a Forensic Marker in Bloodstains |
| title_short | Validation of the Metabolite Ergothioneine as a Forensic Marker in Bloodstains |
| title_sort | validation of the metabolite ergothioneine as a forensic marker in bloodstains |
| topic | bloodstain ergothioneine forensic marker metabolite liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/24/8885 |
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