ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 4

The Detection of Insulin in Postmortem Tissues
Phillips, AP
Home Office Central Research Establishment, Berks.

Curry, AS
Home Office Central Research Establishment, Berks.

Webb, B
Home Office Central Research Establishment, Berks.

(Received 23 June 1971; accepted 21 March 1972)

Abstract

The detection of insulin in postmortem tissue from a victim of homicide has been reported [1]. The assay involved injection of tissue extracts into mice and reversal of the induced hypoglycemia by glucose. The sensitivity was such that for a successful detection, tens of units of insulin would have to be present at the site of the injection at the time of death. When death has been delayed, activities of insulin about the injection site may be well below this figure [2,3]. The development of a radioimmune assay method provides an attractive alternative procedure. In a forensic toxicology laboratory it is inconvenient to keep mice solely for use in an occasional insulin assay and also, the radioimmunoassay has been found to be more sensitive. The principle of the analysis is that of isotope dilution, the extracted insulin being used to compete with iodine-125 labeled insulin for a limited quantity of anti-insulin antibody.

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Paper ID: JFS10134J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS10134J
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