The herbicide paraquat (PQ) is believed to have a neurotoxic role in the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD) as there is increased risk of exposure in rural areas. The HFEH63D polymorphism has been shown to cause brain abnormalities and disrupt iron homeostasis, key components of PD etiology. This work hypothesized that HFEH67D carrier status would augment PQ induced PD histological and imaging metrics. The R2 and histology data from PQ treated mice provide evidence that PQ had a marked effect in the WT but not HFEH67D mice, suggesting that the H67D polymorphism imparts a neuroprotective role in PD.
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