Ferritin and iron accumulation in the brain of Tg-mice.

<p>(A) Paraffin-embedded brain sections (40 <i>μ</i>m thick) of Tg and control mice were stained with a specific antibody for human L-ferritin chain. (B) Slices stained with DAB-enhanced Perl’s reaction showed a strong accumulation of ferritin/iron bodies in Tg-mouse brains. The quantitative evaluation of the percentage of brown staining in various fields showed the increase of the number and size of the granules with aging. At the optical microscope these granules seemed to be present mostly in neurons, and in the center of the cells in a nuclear/paranuclear position. (C) Mice were treated for 3 weeks with oral iron chelator Deferiprone (DFR) 1 mg/ml in drinking water ad libitum to reduce iron burden. The treatment reduced inclusion bodies in the brain both in number and in size.