Currently, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) are widely used as diagnostic biomarkers for heart failure (HF) and cardiac dysfunction in clinical medicine. They are also used as postmortem biomarkers reflecting cardiac function of the deceased before death in forensic medicine. Several previous studies have reviewed BNP and NT-proBNP in clinical medicine, however, few articles have reviewed their application in forensic medicine. The present article reviews the biological features, the research and application status, and the future research prospects of BNP and NT-proBNP in both clinical medicine and forensic medicine, thereby providing valuable assistance for clinicians and forensic pathologists.

Background: Cardiac troponin I (cTn I) and cardiac troponin T (cTn T) are currently widely used as diagnostic biomarkers for myocardial injury caused by ischemic heart diseases in clinical and forensic medicine. However, no previous meta-analysis has summarized the diagnostic roles of postmortem cTn I and cTn T. The aim of the present study was to meta-analyze the diagnostic roles of postmortem cTn I and cTn T for cardiac death in forensic medicine, present a systematic review of the previous literature, and determine the postmortem cut-off values of cTn I and cTn T. Methods: We searched multiple databases for the related literature, performed a meta-analysis to investigate the diagnostic roles of postmortem cardiac troponins, and analyzed the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to determine their postmortem cut-off values. Results and Conclusions: The present meta-analysis demonstrated that postmortem cTn I and cTn T levels were increased in pericardial fluid and serum in cardiac death, especially in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We determined the postmortem cut-off value of cTn I in the pericardial fluid at 86.2 ng/mL, cTn I in serum at 9.5 ng/mL, and cTn T in serum at 8.025 ng/mL.