RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between myofibril fragmentation index ï¼MFIï¼ of human skeletal muscle and postmortem interval ï¼PMIï¼. METHODS: The protein concentrations of human right biceps brachii muscle and right quadriceps femoris muscle were obtained at different PMI, and detected at room temperature by biuret method. The MFI of skeletal muscle at 540 nm was measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometer. Regression analysis was performed with time of death as independent variable ï¼xï¼ and MFI as dependent variable ï¼yï¼. RESULTS: In early PMI, the MFI of human skeletal muscle increased obviously according to the prolongation of PMI, and peaking by 12 h and then tended to steady. Within 12 h after death, the regression equations of right biceps brachii muscle and right quadriceps femoris muscle were y=32.660+3.227 xï¼r=0.987 9ï¼ and y=32.380+3.495 xï¼r=0.983 9ï¼, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There's high correlation between MFI and PMI. Combining with forensic practice, MFI can be used for the estimation of early PMI ï¼especially in 12 hï¼.