Epinephrine (Adrenaline) is of great importance in Legal Medicine, as the verification of the existence and quantity of this substance along with glucose can determine the time of agony that preceded death.
Epinephrine is a hormone and neurotransmitter. It increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates airways, and participates in the Fight-or-flight response* of the sympathetic nervous system. Chemically, adrenaline is a catecholamine, a monoamine produced only by the adrenal gland from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine.
Formula: (R)-4-(1-hydroxy-2-(methylamino)ethyl)benzene-1,2-diol
Tests used by forensics to confirm the Agonal Period:
Chemical liver docimasy of Lacassagne and Martin
Histological liver docimasy of Maissner
Chemical adrenal docimasy of Leoncini and Cevidalli
Histological adrenal docimasy of Veiga de Carvalho
*Fight-or-flight response is a theory by physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon, which states that animals, when faced with danger, will undergo physiological changes (e.g., tachycardia, decreased blood flow to the limbs, which in humans causes cold hands). This would be the animal's preparation to fight or flee from danger.
consult the following link to learn more about Agonal Death and Sudden Death, text by Dr. Paulo Roberto Vieira ( link )
