The effects of different media on postmortem changes of eroin metabolites in rabbit body fluids

Postmortem toxicological sampling is routinely used in the evaluation of forensic cases. However, the assessment of the results has not yet been fully clarified. Postmortem redistribution appears to be the main reason for the complex results, and postmortem redistribution is one of the most frequently researched topics of postmortem toxicology. Although it is known that it is affected by many factors, one of the important questions is that how much effect the factors cause. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the interaction of heroin metabolites which is commonly used and investigated in literature with medium and time using fresh and salty water. Forty-eight New Zealand rabbits were sacrificed one hour after the heroin infusion and antemortem blood samples were taken, they were left for 30 min, 2, 6, 12, 24 hours in fresh water (n: 15), salty water (n: 15), and air (n:15). Central and peripheral blood, vitreous humour and bile samples were then obtained by autopsy and measurements of 6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine and morphine-3-beta-glucuronide were performed by LC-MS / MS. The results of the analyzes showed that the medium change had significant effects on central and peripheral morphine-3-beta-glucuronide concentrations, postmortem interval were responsible for the postmortem redistribution of heroin metabolites at a great rate, morphine was stable due to minimum postmortem redistribution and a reliable metabolite for postmortem toxicology, vitreous humour was affected by immersion and results in less reliable, bile specimens could be valuable for postmortem toxicology in heroine fatality cases without being influenced by environment and postmortem interval changes.