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Updated: May 20, 2026
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Assessing Iron Deposition in the Brains of 5xFAD Mice by Perls'/DAB Staining
Published on: May 23, 2025
Changing iron content of the mouse brain during development.
Gregory P Holmes-Hampton1, Mrinmoy Chakrabarti, Allison L Cockrell
1Texas A&M University, Department of Chemistry, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Metallomics : Integrated Biometal Science
|July 20, 2012
Summary
Brain iron levels shift significantly during development, with ferritin dominating early on. Mitochondrial iron increases as the brain grows, impacting overall iron concentration.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Iron is essential for brain function, but its distribution and changes during development are not fully understood.
- Key iron-containing species in the brain include ferritin, mitochondrial iron, and nonheme iron species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify major iron species in the developing mouse brain.
- To investigate how iron metabolism changes during brain development and under dietary iron deficiency.
Main Methods:
- Utilized enriched (57)Fe in C57BL/6 mice.
- Employed Mössbauer, EPR, and electronic absorption spectroscopy for iron species analysis.
- ICP-MS was used for overall iron concentration measurements.
Main Results:
- Prenatal and early postnatal brains showed high ferritin and low mitochondrial iron.
- A developmental surge in mitochondriogenesis led to decreased brain iron concentration and ferritin.
- Iron levels and ferritin stores recovered in young adult mice; iron-deficient diets depleted ferritin but not mitochondrial iron.
Conclusions:
- Brain iron dynamics are complex during development, influenced by growth and mitochondrial activity.
- The brain's iron import/export rate is relatively slow.
- Ferritin plays a crucial role in iron storage, particularly in early development and recovery phases.
