Mounting evidences indicated that elevated
iron levels in the substantia nigra (SN) have been concerned as the underlying mechanisms of
neurodegenerative diseases, including
Parkinson's disease (PD). The present study used the 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6 -
tetrahydropyridine (
MPTP)-treated cynomolgus monkeys for PD to evaluate the usability of SWI for assessing
iron deposition in the cerebral nuclei of PD. The results showed that susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) phase values of the ipsilateral (
MPTP-lesion side) SN of
MPTP-treated monkeys were lower than those in the contralateral SN of
MPTP-treated monkeys and the same side of Control monkeys, suggesting that
iron deposition were elevated in the affected side SN of
MPTP-treated monkeys. Whereas
MPTP has not effects on the SWI phase values in other detected brain regions of monkeys, including red nucleus (RN), putamen (PUT) and caudate nucleus (CA). Furthermore, ICP-MS results showed that
MPTP increased the
iron levels in
MPTP injection side, but no in the ipsilateral striatum. Additionally,
MPTP treatment did not affect the
calcium and
manganese levels in the detected brain regions of monkeys. However, Pearson correlation analysis results indicated that there were not relationship between SWI phase values in
MPTP-lesion side of SN with the behavioral score,
tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells number and
iron levels in the
MPTP-lesion side of midbrain. Taken together, the results confirm the involvement of SN
iron accumulations in the
MPTP-treated monkey models for PD, and indirectly verify the usability of SWI for the measurement of
iron deposition in the cerebral nuclei of PD.