Iron and cell death in Parkinson's disease: A nuclear microscopic study into iron-rich granules in the parkinsonian substantia nigra of primate models

Abstract

Iron is suspected to play a role in Parkinson's disease by promoting the free radical production, leading to oxidative stress and cell death. The increase in iron in the parkinsonian substantia nigra (SN) has been confirmed in human post-mortem brains and in brain tissue from parkinsonian animal models. However, the question remains as to whether the observed increase in iron is a cause or consequence of the SN cell death process. To address this, nuclear microscopy of iron-granules in the parkinsonian SN of primate models was performed.