Necrophagous flies, comprising the first wave of insects present in a cadaver, provide a great potential for more accurate determination of the late postmortem interval (PMI) based on their age. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs) are a promising age indicator in some insect species, especially for the larvae of necrophagous flies. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to characterize the age-dependent, quantitative changes in CHs of larval Aldrichina grahami (Aldrich) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) at 24 degrees C. The majority of low-molecular-weight alkanes (<= C25) and almost all of the alkenes decreased in abundance with larval development. By contrast, the abundance of high-molecular-weight alkanes of chain length greater than C25 gradually increased with age. For several peaks, including peak 28 (pentacosene a), peak 31 (n-C25), peak 43 (n-C27) and peak 68 (n-C31), a highly significant correlation was found between peak ratio (n-C29 divided by each chromatographic peak) and chronological age of the larvae. A mathematical model, derived from multivariate linear regression analysis, was developed for determining age of the larvae based on age-dependent changes in CHs. The estimated larval age based on the CHs had a good linear correlation with the chronological age (R-2 > 0.9). These results indicate that CHs has a great potential for determining the age of fly larvae, and concomitantly for the PMI in forensic investigation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
[1]Shantou Univ, Coll Med, Dept Forens Med, Shantou 515031, Peoples R China.
[2]Zhejiang Univ, Coll Agr & Biotechnol, Inst Insect Sci, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, Peoples R China.
[3]Shanghai Univ Tradit Chinese Med, Inst Chinese Mat Med, MOE Key Lab Standardizat Chinese Med, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China.
[4]Shanghai Univ Tradit Chinese Med, Inst Chinese Mat Med, SATCM Key Lab New Resources & Qual Evaluat Chines, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China.
[5]Shanghai R&D Ctr Standardizat Chinese Med, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China.
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