Evidence for oxidative stress in the subthalamic nucleus in progressive supranuclear palsy

Increased free radical production and oxidative stress have been proposed a s pathogenic mechanisms in several neurodegenerative disorders. Free radica ls interact with biological macromolecules, such as lipids, which can lead to lipid peroxidation. A well-established marker of oxidative damage to lip ids is malondialdehyde (MDA). We measured tissue MDA levels in the subthala mic nucleus (STN) and cerebellum from 11 progressive supranuclear palsy (PS P) cases and 11 age-matched control cases using sensitive HPLC techniques. In PSP, a significant increase in tissue MDA levels was observed in the STN when compared with the age-matched control group. By contrast, no signific ant difference between tissue MDA content was observed in cerebellar tissue from the same PSP and age-matched control cases. These results indicate th at lipid peroxidation may play a role in the pathogenesis of PSP.