Preclinical Assessment of Safety and Efficacy of Fluorescent Dye for Detecting Dermal Injuries (the injuries were both abrasions and incision) in a Murine Model

• NCJ Number: 251301
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 61 Issue: 6 Dated: August 8, 2016 Pages: 1493-1497
• Author(s): A. C. Bruce; Y. Cao; C. Henry; S. M. Peirce; K. Laughon
• Date Published: August 2016
• Length: 5 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2013-NE-BX-0004
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Award: Evaluate a Novel Fluorescent Dye to Detect Ano-genital Injury in Women of Color

Annotation

This study evaluated a fluorescent dye for detecting injuries on all skin colors in a relevant preclinical murine model.

Abstract

Objective documentation of tears and abrasions to the external genitalia after sexual assault is an important part of the forensic examination. A 1-percent aqueous solution of toluidine blue (TB) dye is often used to highlight injury, but the dye can be difficult to see on dark skin. The current study compared the ability of trained, blinded observers to detect unstained wounds and wounds stained with 1-percent fluorescein sodium (FL) and with TB. It also evaluated the cutaneous wound-healing response after application of both dyes. The no-dye group had significantly fewer (p < 0.05) true-positive identifications compared to all the dye groups. No differences in effectiveness were detected between dye treatments. All groups exhibited statistically similar healing rates. These findings support the evaluation of fluorescein sodium in a future clinical study with human subjects. (Publisher abstract modified)