NCJ Number
62433
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1979) Pages: 856-863
Date Published
1979
Length
8 pages
Annotation
A BLOODSTAIN EXTRACTION PROCEDURE THAT IMPROVES THE ANALYSIS OF HAPTOGLOBIN IN DRIED BLOODSTAINS IS DESCRIBED.
Abstract
HAPTOGLOBIN, A HEMOGLOBIN BINDER AND TRANSPORTER FOUND IN BLOOD PLASMA, POSSESSES TWO CHARACTERISTICS VALUABLE TO FORENSIC SEROLOGY: ITS EXCELLENCE AS A GENETIC MARKER FOR IDENTIFYING BLOODSTAINS, AND ITS ABILITY TO REMAIN IN BLOODSTAINS IN DETECTABLE QUANTITIES OVER LONG PERIODS. ALTHOUGH STAINS OLDER THAN A FEW WEEKS CONTAIN PRODUCTS OF HEMOGLOBIN DETERIORATION WHICH MAR HAPTOGLOBIN TESTS, A SIMPLE CHLOROFORM EXTRACTION PROCEDURE ELIMINATES HEMOGLOBIN, AS CHOLOROFORM WILL PRECIPITATE HEMOGLOBIN FROM CERTAIN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS. IN THIS STUDY, POLYACRYLAMIDE GEL ELECTROPHORESIS WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE HAPTOGLOBIN. SAMPLES OF BLOODSTAINS ARE PLACED IN MICROCENTRIFUGE TUBES, SMALL AMOUNTS OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION ARE ADDED, AND THE STAINS LEFT TO DISSOLVE. WHEN THE CHLOROFORM IS ADDED AND THE MIXTURE CENTRIFUGED, THE HEMOGLOBIN PRODUCTS WILL PRECIPITATE OUT AT THE INTERFACE OF MORE AND LESS DENSE LIQUIDS. THIS MAY BE REMOVED AND THE HAPTOGLOBIN ANALYZED. AN EXPERIMENT IS DESCRIBED FOR COMPARING THE ELECTROPHORESIS RESULTS OF BLOODSTAINS SUBJECTED AND NOT SUBJECTED TO CHLOROFORM HEMOGLOBIN EXTRACTION. RESULTS SHOW THAT HAPTOGLOBIN FROM BLOODSTAINS RANGING IN AGE FROM 6 WEEKS TO 2 YEARS MAY BE ANALYZED AFTER CHLOROFORM TREATMENT, BUT NOT FROM UNTREATED STAINS. REFERENCES, FOOTNOTES, AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE INCLUDED. (PAP)