HUANG Hong, LIAO Lin-chuan, LIAO Zhi-gang,et al. West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041

  【Abstract】 Objective  To observe changes in the level of energy substance (ATP,ADP and AMP) in different organs of rat and its relationship with the postmortem interval. Methods  The content of energy substance in gastrocnemiuses, myocardiums and livers of 180 rats was detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) at various postmortem intervals. Results  The content of ATP quickly decreased as the postmortem interval is getting longer; ATP was hardly detected or just microamounted at 8 h after death. The content of energy substance in myocardium and liver was obviously affected by death mode. ADP was detected at each postmortem interval. The content of AMP was irregularly changed. Conclusion  The detection of adenosine phosphates by HPLC revealed the relationship of the amount of ATP with postmortem interval from 0 to 24 h in rat’s gastrocnemius, myocardium and liver, providing an objective and exact new way to estimate the postmortem interval in human cadavers.

  【Key Words】  Death mode, Postmortem interval, Adenosine Triphosphate(ATP), Adenosine Diphosphate(ADP), Adenosine Monophosphate(AMP), High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC)