A Biochemical and Histological Assessment of Postmortem Changes to the Eyes of Domestic Pigs: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The Postmortem Interval (PMI) is the time from the death of an animal to its discovery. From a veterinary forensic standpoint, an accurate estimation of the PMI is of particular importance, especially with the observed increase in deaths of domestic and wild animals. A preliminary study was conducted using the eyes of domestic pigs. A biochemical analysis was conducted on the vitreous humor of the eye, whilst a histological analysis was conducted on the retina. The eyes were stored at +4 °C and changes were assessed at time intervals of 0, 12, 24, 48, and 120 h. The biochemical analysis during the PMI established a decrease in sodium, chlorine, and glucose concentrations, and a rise in potassium concentration. Accordingly, a simple linear regression showed a significant correlation between changes in concentrations of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride (Cl−), and glucose, in relation to the PMI. The histological analysis showed evident morphological changes in the retina, which included homogenization of the rod and cone cells, pyknosis of the outer nuclear layer, homogenization of the outer plexiform layer, pyknosis of the inner nuclear layer, homogenization of the inner plexiform layer, and pyknosis of the nuclei of the ganglion layer of the retina.