ArticleInternational journal of legal medicine2021
Detecting drugs in dry bone: a pilot study of skeletal remains with a post-mortem interval over 23 years.
Article in International journal of legal medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Postmortem toxicological investigations in cases with an extended postmortem interval and advanced decomposition.International journal of legal medicine · 2026Review
- Benefits and Limitations Associated with the Use of Alternative Biological Matrices in Forensic Toxicology, as Well as Genetic Markers of Poisoning and Psychoactive Substance Abuse.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Papaver somniferum in seventeenth century (Italy): archaeotoxicological study on brain and bone samples in patients from a hospital in Milan.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Interpol review of toxicology 2019-2022.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2023Review
- Analytical Approaches for the Determination of Buprenorphine, Methadone and Their Metabolites in Biological Matrices.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Histological paraffin-embedded block: a good alternative specimen to detect the use of opiates at least 20 years ago.Forensic toxicology · 2022Article
- Postmortem forensic toxicology cases: A retrospective review from Milan, Italy.Journal of forensic sciences · 2022Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
In decomposed or skeletonized bodies, conventional matrices used in forensic toxicology may no longer be available for analysis. The aim of this paper was to test the survival and detection of toxicological substances in dry bone samples with over 23 years of post-mortem interval. In this perspective, bone samples from the cranium, ribs, and vertebrae of seven skeletons from the CAL Milano Cemetery Skeletal Collection, buried for over 23 years, fully decomposed and altered by taphonomic factors were selected based on their ante-mortem data, which included verified or suspected drug addictions or overdose. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed with Dionex™ ASE™ 350 Accelerated Solvent Extractor and Q-Exactive Orbitrap-mass spectrometry with a HPLC system. Positive results were obtained in six of the seven cases, and different psychoactive drugs (and in some cases their active metabolites) were detected, including analgesic (two opioids: methadone and buprenorphine) and anxiolytic drugs (benzodiazepines, in particular delorazepam, diazepam, nordiazepam, and lorazepam), a cannabinoid metabolite (THCCOOH) as well as metabolites of stimulants (benzoylecgonine and MDA). Consequently, this research shows that toxicological substances may be found in bone tissue after over 23 years of post-mortem interval.
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