Applicability of vitreous humor as an alternative matrix versus blood for post-mortem toxicological screening

• Published in: Makedonsko Farmacevtski Bilten
• Main Authors: Marija Bujaroska Perkovikj, Tatjana Kadifkova Panovska, Zorica Bozhinoska, Stefanija Ubavkova, Natasha Bitoljanu, Verica Poposka, Aleksandar Stankov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University Ss Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, Faculty of Pharmacy and Macedonian Pharmaceutical Association 2025-06-01
• Subjects: blood; vitreous humor; postmortem; toxicology; screening
• Online Access: https://bulletin.mfd.org.mk/volumes/Volume%2071_1/71_1_006.pdf
• ISSN: 1409-8695; 1857-8969

There is an increased interest for application of vitreous humor (VH) in forensic examinations, mainly for post-mortem interval determination, biochemical analyses as well as in forensic toxicology. When reference samples for toxicological analyses, such as blood or urine, are unavailable, the use of alternative matrices becomes essential. Due to its anatomical position and chemical properties, VH is a good candidate for suitable alternative to blood. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate applicability and usefulness of VH as an alternative matrix for toxicological screening in comparison to blood sample. Paired samples of blood and VH from 51 autopsied cases were analyzed performing non-targeted, broad spectrum toxicological screening by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography using photo diode array detector (HPLC-PDA), routinely used for blood screening. The total number of findings in the examined samples was 207 in blood and 146 in VH. In 16 cases a 100% agreement of the number of detected compounds was noticed. Despite the lower number of findings in VH, no statistically significant difference was observed between the number of detected compounds in respective blood and VH samples. Analyses of the blood and VH using a method for routine toxicological screening of blood revealed agreement between the numbers of findings in both samples with strong positive correlation, indicating that VH is applicable alternative matrix to blood. The full potential of the VH in forensic toxicology purposes has yet to be evaluated through further studies.