ABSTRACT
Context: The appropriate collection and preservation of soft tissues from putrefied unidentifiable
human corpse for the purpose of identification using DNA profiling technique is critically
important especially in developing countries like India having different levels of
health-care set ups with largely varying facilities and varying climatic conditions.
Aims: The present study was carried out, mainly focusing on quality and quantity of extracted
DNA from the soft tissues of putrefied unidentifiable human corpse stored upto 4 weeks
at 4°C and at −80°C for DNA analysis.
Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted on 16 different putrefied unidentifiable human corpses
after getting approval from institutional ethical committee. Around 2 g of four different
tissues (brain, kidney, heart and muscle) were collected and preserved for one month
followed by DNA extraction using the organic method, the quality and quantity of high
molecular weight-DNA was estimated using the spectrophotometer and gel electrophoresis.
Further, the amplification polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also performed (AmpFLSTR® Indentifiler™ PCR Amplification kit for multiple loci, of Applied Biosystems, Lab
India) and was checked using continuous PAGE.
Results: The yield of DNA was significantly higher at −80°C for all the four tissues collected
and was best for brain followed by heart, kidney and worst for muscles in all cases.
Conclusions: It is suggested that the brain tissue preserved at −80°C is the best among soft issues
for DNA extraction. Refrigeration or deep freezing facility should be available at
all the centers.
Key words:
DNA-profiling - putrefaction - soft tissues
