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Published on: May 23, 2025
Decreased iron levels in the temporal cortex in postmortem human brains with Parkinson disease
Xiaojun Yu1, Tingting Du, Ning Song
1Department of Physiology, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis and Prevention of Neurological Disorders and State Key Disciplines, Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
Objective:
The present study aimed to evaluate alterations in the levels of iron, divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) with the iron-responsive element (IRE), transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), ferroportin 1 (FPN1), and iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1) in the temporal cortex of human brains with Parkinson disease (PD).
Methods:
Iron content was measured using an ICP-MS 7500CE detector. IRP1, DMT1+IRE, TfR1, and FPN1 expressions were determined by Western blotting.
Results:
Iron content was significantly lower in the temporal cortex of patients with PD when compared with age-matched healthy controls. Unexpectedly, the levels of DMT1+IRE, TfR1, FPN1, and IRP1 were decreased in the temporal cortex in PD brains. No changes were observed in the temporal cortex of postmortem Alzheimer disease brains.
Conclusions:
Iron deprivation and iron-related protein dysregulation suggest that a different iron regulatory mechanism may exist, and that iron redistribution may occur between the temporal cortex and the substantia nigra of patients with PD.
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