Pharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach

Pharmacogenetics analyzes the individual behavior of DNA genes after the administration of a drug. Pharmacogenetic research has been implemented in recent years thanks to the improvement in genome sequencing techniques and molecular genetics. In addition to medical purposes, pharmacogenetics can con...

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Autores principales:	Nunzio Di Nunno, Massimiliano Esposito, Antonina Argo, Monica Salerno, Francesco Sessa
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	pharmacogenetics forensic toxicology multidisciplinary approach molecular autopsy drug-related death Chemical technology TP1-1185
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/3beed06605a04c799ad4b91d5adfc1c4
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:3beed06605a04c799ad4b91d5adfc1c42021-11-25T19:08:09ZPharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach10.3390/toxics91102922305-6304https://doaj.org/article/3beed06605a04c799ad4b91d5adfc1c42021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/9/11/292https://doaj.org/toc/2305-6304Pharmacogenetics analyzes the individual behavior of DNA genes after the administration of a drug. Pharmacogenetic research has been implemented in recent years thanks to the improvement in genome sequencing techniques and molecular genetics. In addition to medical purposes, pharmacogenetics can constitute an important tool for clarifying the interpretation of toxicological data in post-mortem examinations, sometimes crucial for determining the cause and modality of death. The purpose of this systematic literature review is not only to raise awareness among the forensic community concerning pharmacogenetics, but also to provide a workflow for forensic toxicologists to follow in cases of unknown causes of death related to drug use/abuse. The scientific community is called on to work hard in order to supply evidence in forensic practice, demonstrating that this investigation could become an essential tool both in civil and forensic contexts. The following keywords were used for the search engine: (pharmacogenetics) AND (forensic toxicology); (pharmacogenetics) AND (post-mortem); (pharmacogenetics) AND (forensic science); and (pharmacogenetics) AND (autopsy). A total of 125 articles were collected. Of these, 29 articles were included in this systematic review. A total of 75% of the included studies were original articles (<i>n</i> = 21) and 25% were case reports (<i>n</i> = 7). A total of 78% (<i>n</i> = 22) of the studies involved deceased people for whom a complete autopsy was performed, while 22% (<i>n</i> = 6) involved people in good health who were given a drug with a subsequent pharmacogenetic study. The most studied drugs were opioids (codeine, morphine, and methadone), followed by antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants and venlafaxine). Furthermore, all studies highlighted the importance of a pharmacogenetics study in drug-related deaths, especially in cases of non-overdose of drugs of abuse. This study highlights the importance of forensic pharmacogenetics, a field of toxicology still not fully understood, which is of great help in cases of sudden death, deaths from overdose, deaths after the administration of a drug, and also in cases of complaint of medical malpractice.Nunzio Di NunnoMassimiliano EspositoAntonina ArgoMonica SalernoFrancesco SessaMDPI AGarticlepharmacogeneticsforensic toxicologymultidisciplinary approachmolecular autopsydrug-related deathChemical technologyTP1-1185ENToxics, Vol 9, Iss 292, p 292 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	pharmacogenetics forensic toxicology multidisciplinary approach molecular autopsy drug-related death Chemical technology TP1-1185
spellingShingle	pharmacogenetics forensic toxicology multidisciplinary approach molecular autopsy drug-related death Chemical technology TP1-1185 Nunzio Di Nunno Massimiliano Esposito Antonina Argo Monica Salerno Francesco Sessa Pharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach
description	Pharmacogenetics analyzes the individual behavior of DNA genes after the administration of a drug. Pharmacogenetic research has been implemented in recent years thanks to the improvement in genome sequencing techniques and molecular genetics. In addition to medical purposes, pharmacogenetics can constitute an important tool for clarifying the interpretation of toxicological data in post-mortem examinations, sometimes crucial for determining the cause and modality of death. The purpose of this systematic literature review is not only to raise awareness among the forensic community concerning pharmacogenetics, but also to provide a workflow for forensic toxicologists to follow in cases of unknown causes of death related to drug use/abuse. The scientific community is called on to work hard in order to supply evidence in forensic practice, demonstrating that this investigation could become an essential tool both in civil and forensic contexts. The following keywords were used for the search engine: (pharmacogenetics) AND (forensic toxicology); (pharmacogenetics) AND (post-mortem); (pharmacogenetics) AND (forensic science); and (pharmacogenetics) AND (autopsy). A total of 125 articles were collected. Of these, 29 articles were included in this systematic review. A total of 75% of the included studies were original articles (<i>n</i> = 21) and 25% were case reports (<i>n</i> = 7). A total of 78% (<i>n</i> = 22) of the studies involved deceased people for whom a complete autopsy was performed, while 22% (<i>n</i> = 6) involved people in good health who were given a drug with a subsequent pharmacogenetic study. The most studied drugs were opioids (codeine, morphine, and methadone), followed by antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants and venlafaxine). Furthermore, all studies highlighted the importance of a pharmacogenetics study in drug-related deaths, especially in cases of non-overdose of drugs of abuse. This study highlights the importance of forensic pharmacogenetics, a field of toxicology still not fully understood, which is of great help in cases of sudden death, deaths from overdose, deaths after the administration of a drug, and also in cases of complaint of medical malpractice.
format	article
author	Nunzio Di Nunno Massimiliano Esposito Antonina Argo Monica Salerno Francesco Sessa
author_facet	Nunzio Di Nunno Massimiliano Esposito Antonina Argo Monica Salerno Francesco Sessa
author_sort	Nunzio Di Nunno
title	Pharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach
title_short	Pharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach
title_full	Pharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach
title_fullStr	Pharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach
title_full_unstemmed	Pharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach
title_sort	pharmacogenetics and forensic toxicology: a new step towards a multidisciplinary approach
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/3beed06605a04c799ad4b91d5adfc1c4
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Pharmacogenetics and Forensic Toxicology: A New Step towards a Multidisciplinary Approach

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