Fig. 6

MC1R is present in dopaminergic neurons in humans and is reduced in patients with PD. A Immunohistochemistry for MC1R and TH in the SN of a 60-year-old control individual, PMI 15 h. Control sections were processed in the same manner, except primary or secondary antibodies were omitted. Scale bars, top 100 µm, bottom 25 µm. B Fluorescence double-staining for MC1R and TH or GFAP in the SN of a 63-year-old control individual, PMI 16 h. Scale bar, 50 µm. C Immunohistochemistry for MC1R and TH in the SN of a 91-year-old control individual, PMI 8 h, and an 84-year-old PD patient, PMI 6 h. Scale bar, 50 µm. D Fluorescence double-staining of MC1R and TH in the SN of an 87-year-old control individual, PMI 48 h, and a 91-year-old PD patient, PMI 32 h. Scale bar, 50 µm. E Immunoblot for MC1R and TH using SN tissue from control individuals and PD patients and F quantification of band density, n = 4/group; G Immunoblot for Nrf2 using SN tissue from control individuals and PD patients and H quantification of band density, n = 3/group. Actin as a loading control. Two-tail Student’s t test. Age (years)/PMI (h): 63/16, 87/48, 91/8, and 60/15 for control 1–4; 62/33, 91/32, 84/6, and 69/17 for PD 1–4. *P < 0.05