The Role of AFB1, OTA, TCNs, and Patulin in Forensic Sciences: Applications in Autopsy, Criminal Investigations, and Public Health Prevention
Mycotoxins, specifically aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), trichothecenes (TCNs), and patulin, are a group of secondary metabolites that can contaminate food, leading to severe health implications for humans. Their detection and analysis within forensic toxicology are crucial, particularly as...
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2024-11-01
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| author | Matteo Antonio Sacco Saverio Gualtieri Alessandro Pasquale Tarallo Maria Cristina Verrina Angela Carbone Wandamaria Mazzuca Santo Gratteri Isabella Aquila |
| author_facet | Matteo Antonio Sacco Saverio Gualtieri Alessandro Pasquale Tarallo Maria Cristina Verrina Angela Carbone Wandamaria Mazzuca Santo Gratteri Isabella Aquila |
| author_sort | Matteo Antonio Sacco |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mycotoxins, specifically aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), trichothecenes (TCNs), and patulin, are a group of secondary metabolites that can contaminate food, leading to severe health implications for humans. Their detection and analysis within forensic toxicology are crucial, particularly as they can be implicated in cases of poisoning, foodborne illnesses, or lethal chronic exposure. However, little is known about the application that mycotoxins could have in forensic investigations and especially about the possibility of extracting and quantifying these molecules on tissues or post-mortem fluids collected at autopsy. We propose a review of the scientific literature on autopsy case studies in which the presence of mycotoxins on cadavers in cases of acute and chronic exposure has been investigated and identified. This review demonstrates how the analysis of mycotoxins on cadavers could be fundamental in the study of mushroom poisonings or even in the investigation of the chronic effects of mycotoxins on the human organism, by virtue of the known carcinogenic and mutagenic effects of many of them. This paper aims to explore the multifaceted role of mycotoxins within forensic sciences, focusing on their detection methods, implications in criminal contexts, and their potential as forensic evidence, thereby underscoring the critical importance they could assume in post-mortem toxicology, public health prevention, and forensic investigations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a055719cc7c241eb8c459a404baf5a2f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-6651 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Toxins |
| spelling | doaj-art-a055719cc7c241eb8c459a404baf5a2f2024-12-27T14:56:55ZengMDPI AGToxins2072-66512024-11-01161251410.3390/toxins16120514The Role of AFB1, OTA, TCNs, and Patulin in Forensic Sciences: Applications in Autopsy, Criminal Investigations, and Public Health PreventionMatteo Antonio Sacco0Saverio Gualtieri1Alessandro Pasquale Tarallo2Maria Cristina Verrina3Angela Carbone4Wandamaria Mazzuca5Santo Gratteri6Isabella Aquila7Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Graecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Graecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Graecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Graecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Graecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Graecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Graecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyInstitute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Graecia” University, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyMycotoxins, specifically aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), trichothecenes (TCNs), and patulin, are a group of secondary metabolites that can contaminate food, leading to severe health implications for humans. Their detection and analysis within forensic toxicology are crucial, particularly as they can be implicated in cases of poisoning, foodborne illnesses, or lethal chronic exposure. However, little is known about the application that mycotoxins could have in forensic investigations and especially about the possibility of extracting and quantifying these molecules on tissues or post-mortem fluids collected at autopsy. We propose a review of the scientific literature on autopsy case studies in which the presence of mycotoxins on cadavers in cases of acute and chronic exposure has been investigated and identified. This review demonstrates how the analysis of mycotoxins on cadavers could be fundamental in the study of mushroom poisonings or even in the investigation of the chronic effects of mycotoxins on the human organism, by virtue of the known carcinogenic and mutagenic effects of many of them. This paper aims to explore the multifaceted role of mycotoxins within forensic sciences, focusing on their detection methods, implications in criminal contexts, and their potential as forensic evidence, thereby underscoring the critical importance they could assume in post-mortem toxicology, public health prevention, and forensic investigations.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/16/12/514AFB1OTAtrichothecenespatulinautopsyforensic science |
| spellingShingle | Matteo Antonio Sacco Saverio Gualtieri Alessandro Pasquale Tarallo Maria Cristina Verrina Angela Carbone Wandamaria Mazzuca Santo Gratteri Isabella Aquila The Role of AFB1, OTA, TCNs, and Patulin in Forensic Sciences: Applications in Autopsy, Criminal Investigations, and Public Health Prevention Toxins AFB1 OTA trichothecenes patulin autopsy forensic science |
| title | The Role of AFB1, OTA, TCNs, and Patulin in Forensic Sciences: Applications in Autopsy, Criminal Investigations, and Public Health Prevention |
| title_full | The Role of AFB1, OTA, TCNs, and Patulin in Forensic Sciences: Applications in Autopsy, Criminal Investigations, and Public Health Prevention |
| title_fullStr | The Role of AFB1, OTA, TCNs, and Patulin in Forensic Sciences: Applications in Autopsy, Criminal Investigations, and Public Health Prevention |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of AFB1, OTA, TCNs, and Patulin in Forensic Sciences: Applications in Autopsy, Criminal Investigations, and Public Health Prevention |
| title_short | The Role of AFB1, OTA, TCNs, and Patulin in Forensic Sciences: Applications in Autopsy, Criminal Investigations, and Public Health Prevention |
| title_sort | role of afb1 ota tcns and patulin in forensic sciences applications in autopsy criminal investigations and public health prevention |
| topic | AFB1 OTA trichothecenes patulin autopsy forensic science |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/16/12/514 |
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