Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Feb 25;25(5):2664.
doi: 10.3390/ijms25052664.

Application of Aquaporins as Markers in Forensic Pathology: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Letizia Alfieri  1 , Angelo Montana  2 , Paolo Frisoni  3 , Stefano D'Errico  4 , Margherita Neri  1
Affiliations

Application of Aquaporins as Markers in Forensic Pathology: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Letizia Alfieri et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The study of aquaporins (AQPs) in various forensic fields has offered a promising horizon in response to the need to have reliable elements for the identification of the manner of death and for the individuation of forensic markers for the timing of lesions and vitality of injury. In the literature, various tissues have been studied; the most investigated are the lungs, brain, kidneys, skin, and blood vessels. A systematic literature review on PubMed following PRISMA 2020 guidelines enabled the identification of 96 articles. In all, 34 of these were enrolled to identify Aquaporin-like (AQP-like) forensic markers. The analysis of the literature demonstrated that the most significant markers among the AQPs are as follows: for the brain, AQP4, which is very important in brain trauma and hypoxic damage; AQP3 in the skin lesions caused by various mechanisms; and AQP5 in the diagnosis of drowning. Other applications are in organ damage due to drug abuse and thrombus dating. The focus of this review is to collect all the data present in the literature about the forensic application of AQPs as forensic markers in the most important fields of application. In the current use, the individuation, validation, and application of markers in forensic investigation are very useful in real forensic applications in cases evaluated in court.

Keywords: aquaporins; forensic pathology; immunohistochemical markers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of study design by PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A schematic representation of the principal forensic application of AQPs in the brain.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scheme of use of AQP1, 2, and 5 as markers of asphyxia and drowning.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Benga G. Birth of Water Channel Proteins-the Aquaporins. Cell Biol. Int. 2003;27:701–709. doi: 10.1016/S1065-6995(03)00171-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Benga G. Water Channel Proteins (Later Called Aquaporins) and Relatives: Past, Present, and Future. IUBMB Life. 2009;61:112–133. doi: 10.1002/iub.156. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Verkman A.S., Mitra A.K. Structure and Function of Aquaporin Water Channels. Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 2000;278:F13–F28. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.2000.278.1.F13. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Agre P. The Aquaporin Water Channels. Proc. Am. Thorac. Soc. 2006;3:5–13. doi: 10.1513/pats.200510-109JH. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jung J.S., Bhat R.V., Preston G.M., Guggino W.B., Baraban J.M., Agre P. Molecular Characterization of an Aquaporin cDNA from Brain: Candidate Osmoreceptor and Regulator of Water Balance. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 1994;91:13052–13056. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.26.13052. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources