Oxidant-mediated damage is suspected to be involved in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders . Iron promotes conversion of hydrogen peroxide to hydroxyl radical and, thus, may contribute to oxidant stress . We measured iron and its transport protein transferrin in caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, and frontal cortex of subjects with Alzheimer's disease (n = 14) and Parkinson's disease (n = 14), and in younger adult (n = 8) and elderly (n = 8) normal controls . Although there were no differences between control groups with regard to concentrations of iron and transferrin, iron was significantly increased (p < 0 .05) in Alzheimer's disease globus pallidus and frontal cortex and Parkinson's disease globus pallidus, and transferrin was significantly increased in Alzheimer's disease frontal cortex, compared with elderly controls . The transferrin/ iron ratio, a measure of iron mobilization capacity, was decreased in globus pallidus and caudate in both disorders . Regional transferrin and iron concentrations were generally more highly correlated (Pearson's correlation coefficient) in elderly controls than in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease . The altered relationship between iron and transferrin provides further evidence that a disturbance in iron metabolism may be involved in both disorders .

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