Proteomic Signature of Aging in Bloodstain Samples: A Preliminary Study

ABSTRACT: Age estimation from biological samples remains a critical challenge in forensic investigations, particularly when analyzing trace or degraded biological stains recovered from crime scenes. While DNA methylation has gained attention as a potential epigenetic clock for age prediction, practical limitations including the requirements for bisulfite conversion and environmental interference hinder its forensic utility. Previous studies have shown that proteins are more stable than DNA and that certain proteins are highly age-related and sex-differentiated, indicating that proteomic signatures present a promising alternative for biological age determination. However, proteomic data from bloodstains have not yet been used for forensic age prediction. In this pilot study, we used the high-resolution Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer to investigate the proteomic signatures of aging in bloodstain samples from 40 healthy males (aged 10–79 years) stored for 4 years at room temperature (20 – 25°C). Age-related proteins were subsequently selected for age prediction. We further simplified the characterization variables using Lasso regression and the Boruta algorithm, and established age prediction models for bloodstains based on Random Forest machine learning.

ORGANISM(S): Homo Sapiens

SUBMITTER: Jiangwei Yan  

PROVIDER: PXD066907 | iProX | Sun Aug 03 00:00:00 BST 2025

REPOSITORIES: iProX