Regional distributions of manganese, iron, copper, and zinc in the brains of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced parkinsonian rats

Time courses of changes in manganese, iron, copper, and zinc concentrations were examined in regions of the brain of a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced rat model of Parkinson's disease using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The concentrations were simultaneously determined in brain section at the level of the substantia nigra 1, 3, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days after the 6-OHDA treatment and compared with those of control rats. The distributions of these elements were obtained for 18 regions of the sagittal section (1-mm thick). The ICP-MS results indicated that Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn levels of the 6-OHDA-induced parkinsonian brain were observed to increase in all regions that lay along the dopaminergic pathway. In the substantia nigra, the increase in Mn level occurred rapidly from 3 to 7 days and preceded those in the other elements, reaching a plateau in the 6-OHDA brain. Iron and Zn levels increased gradually until 7 days and then increased rapidly from 7 to 10 days. The increase in the