title: Fatty acid composition of the anterior cingulate cortex indicates a high susceptibility to lipid peroxidation in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oxidative stress contributes to Parkinson's disease (PD) etiology. Although previous studies have focused on sources of free radical formation in brain regions affected by PD, less is known regarding changes in lipid composition and the implications for susceptibility to peroxidation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess fatty acid profiles from control and PD tissues that are susceptible to PD pathology but devoid of severe destruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used gas chromatography methods to assess fatty acid profiles from control (n = 10) and PD (n = 9) postmortem tissues. We focused on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a region that accumulates alpha-synuclein, but does not undergo severe destruction, and compared this to the occipital cortex, a region that is pathologically spared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data indicate a significant 33% increase in the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (mol%) present in the PD ACC as compared to control ACC. Increases in highly unsaturated 22:5n-6 and 22:6n-3 fatty acids were particularly pronounced (109% and 73%, respectively). Calculation of a peroxidation index (accounting for total fatty acyl double bounds) indicated a 44% increase in susceptibility of the PD ACC to lipid peroxidation compared to control ACC. Such differences were not detected in the occipital cortex from the same donors. Assessment of F2-isprostane levels confirmed that PD tissue lipids were more oxidized than controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The global composition of fatty acids in the PD ACC is altered in a way that increases susceptibility to peroxidation in a region-specific manner. This has important implications for PD, supporting the oxidative stress hypothesis of PD pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.affiliation: Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jenner
authors.affiliation: Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Adena S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Spiro
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Applied Statistics Research Australia, University of Wollongong, Wollongong NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Marijka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Batterham
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Australia and the University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Glenda M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Halliday
authors.affiliation: Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Garner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids
keywords: F2-isoprostanes; Parkinson's disease; fatty acids; lipid peroxidation; oxidative stress; postmortem tissue analysis