Expression of IL-6 and CD68 Markers in Antemortem and Postmortem Fractures

Background: Estimation of the time of fracture and knowledge of differentiating characteristics between antemortem and postmortem fractures are important issues in forensic medical and anthropological examinations.Evaluation of the biological reactions to the fracture would require knowledge of the cellular response to the injury in connection to the time of occurrence and the roles played by the inflammatory markers IL-6 and the macrophage marker CD68 during bone healing after fractures.Objectives: This study evaluated the IL-6 and CD68 expression differences between antemortem, postmortem, and perimortem fractures.The main aim was to evaluate the potential for these markers in discriminating fracture types and, as possible, specific time points of inflammation and repair regarding different periods.Methods: The study was experimental.78 adult Wistar rats were divided into 13 groups corresponding to the induction of fracture (antemortem, postmortem, or perimortem) and collection of samples.The bone tissues were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis for IL-6 and CD68 expression.The expression of the two markers was statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by posthoc tests to compare between groups.Results: IL-6 expression was highest in antemortem fractures, particularly 24-hour fractures, and lowest in postmortem fractures.CD68 expression demonstrated a similar trend, with progressive increases in antemortem fractures and only minimal expression in postmortem fractures.While levels of both IL-6 and CD68 were still measurable in antemortem fractures with postmortem overlay, these were lower compared to antemortem fractures without postmortem overlay.These results imply that IL-6 and CD68 may be used to determine bone fracture vitality.Conclusions: IL-6 and CD68 antibodies can be immunohistochemical markers to differentiate antemortem, postmortem, and perimortem fractures.Forensic doctors can use these markers to indicate the time of fracture in antemortem and postmortem injuries.Further research is needed to validate these findings in medico-legal case scenarios, particularly involving human tissues.