REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF IRON, TRANSFERRIN, FERRITIN, AND OXIDATIVELY-MODIFIED PROTEINS IN YOUNG AND AGED FISCHER-344 RAT BRAINS

Iron dysregulation in the brain is thought to contribute to the oxidat ive damage seen in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's di sease and Parkinson's disease. A role for iron in the oxidative stress thought to contribute to normal ageing is less certain. To better cha racterize the role of iron in normal ageing, the concentrations of iro n, transferrin, ferritin, and protein carbonyl groups are measured in nine separate regions of Fischer 344 rats. The largest (approximately 30%) age-related increases in brain iron concentration are seen in the temporal cortex, medial septum, and cerebellum Ferritin concentration in these same brain regions increases SO to 250% with age, while prot ein carbonyl concentration is only -27 to +4% of young rats. These res ults indicate that an increase in the major iron-binding protein ferri tin compensates for any age-related increase in iron concentration, an d suggest that the increased ferritin is cytoprotective, serving to pr event the accumulation of protein carbonyl groups ja principal product of metal-catalysed oxidation of proteins). (C) 1997 IBRO.