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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Laser Microdissection-Based Protocol for the LC-MS/MS Analysis of the Proteomic Profile of Neuromelanin Granules
Published on: December 16, 2021
New face of neuromelanin
1Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Randwick, Sydney, Australia. K.Double@unsw.edu.au
Abstract:
The massive, early and relatively circumscribed death of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease has not yet been adequately explained. The characteristic feature of this brain region is the presence of neuromelanin pigment within the vulnerable neurons. We suggest that neuromelanin in the Parkinson's disease brain differs to that in the normal brain. The interaction of neuromelanin with iron has been shown to differ in the parkinsonian brain in a manner consistent with an increase in oxidative stress. Further, we suggest an interaction between the lipoprotein alpha-synuclein and lipidated neuromelanin contributes to the aggregation of this protein and cell death in Parkinson's disease. The available data suggest that the melaninisation of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra is a critical factor to explain the vulnerability of this brain region to early and massive degeneration in Parkinson's disease.
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