[Expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in sudden death due to viral myocarditis and its medicolegal significance].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression and significance of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in myocardium in sudden death caused by viral myocarditis (VMC). METHODS: To investigate the expression of MCP-1 in VMC sudden death group and control group using improved immunohistochemical technique and to compare the difference of the expression of MCP-1 between two groups with statistical method. RESULTS: In VMC sudden death group, MCP-1 was positively expressed in 17 of 20 cases. While only 4 of the 20 cases in the control group showed a mildly positive expression sparsely in myocardium, and the rest cases were completely negative. The rate of positive expression of MCP-1 in VMC group was obviously higher than that of the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The expression of MCP-1 detected by immunohistochemistry provides an objective morphologic evidence for the diagnosis of VMC sudden death in forensic pathology.