In these present studies, in vivo and and post-mortem studies have investigated the association between iron and inflammation. Early-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, of less than 5 years disease duration, showed associations of plasmatic ferritin concentrations with both proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 and hepcidin, a regulator of iron metabolism as well as clinical measures. In addition ratios of plasmatic ferritin and iron accumulation in deep grey matter nuclei assessed with relaxometry T2* inversely correlated with disease severity and duration of PD. On the hand, post-mortem material of the substantia nigra compacta (SNc) divided according to Braak and Braak scores, III–IV and V–VI staging, exhibited comparable microgliosis, with a variety of phenotypes present. There was an association between the intensity of microgliosis and iron accumulation as assayed by Perl’s staining in the SNc sections. In conclusion, markers of inflammation and iron metabolism in both systemic and brain systems are closely linked in PD, thus offering a potential biomarker for progression of the disease.

在这些目前的研究中，体内和尸检研究调查了铁和炎症之间的关联。病程不足 5 年的早期帕金森病 (PD) 患者显示血浆铁蛋白浓度与促炎细胞因子白细胞介素 6 和铁调素（铁代谢的调节剂以及临床措施）相关。此外，用松弛测量法 T2* 评估的深部灰质核中血浆铁蛋白和铁积累的比率与疾病严重程度和 PD 持续时间呈负相关。另一方面，根据 Braak 和 Braak 评分、III-IV 和 V-VI 分期划分的黑质致密体 (SNc) 的死后材料表现出相当的小胶质细胞增生，并存在多种表型。通过 SNc 切片中的 Perl 染色测定，小胶质细胞增生的强度和铁积累之间存在关联。总之，全身和脑系统中的炎症和铁代谢标志物在 PD 中密切相关，因此为疾病进展提供了潜在的生物标志物。