Modulation of age-related alterations of iron, ferritin, and lipid peroxidation in rat brain synaptosomes

Oxidative stress, as indicated by increases in lipid peroxidation, is generally found to increase with age. Also found in various tissues of aged organisms, including the brain, is the accumulation of iron, a pro-oxidant transition metal. In this study, iron content and ferritin levels were measured in the synaptosomes isolated from the frontal cortices of aged male Fischer 344 rats. Age-related changes in lipid peroxide and the peroxidizability of synaptosomal fatty acids were also studied in addition to the anti-aging effect of dietary restriction (DR) (60% food intake of ad libitum (AL) fed animals) on the modulation of age-related iron status and lipid peroxidation. When comparing the two dietary groups for the age-related production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), DR was shown to effectively suppress the amount of age-related ROS in the brain synaptosomes of these rats. Increases in lipid peroxide and accumulations of total iron and ferritin in brain synaptosomes of DR rats were also shown to be significantly lower than those of AL rats. Increased lipid peroxide and accumulated iron overload were effectively attenuated by DR, and the modulation of synaptosomal iron status was consistent with previous findings on the anti-aging action of DR.