Human-brain ferritin studied by muon spin rotation: a pilot study

J Phys Condens Matter. 2017 Oct 18;29(41):415801. doi: 10.1088/1361-648X/aa80b3. Epub 2017 Sep 5.

Abstract

Muon spin rotation is employed to investigate the spin dynamics of ferritin proteins isolated from the brain of an Alzheimer's disease (AD) patient and of a healthy control, using a sample of horse-spleen ferritin as a reference. A model based on the Néel theory of superparamagnetism is developed in order to interpret the spin relaxation rate of the muons stopped by the core of the protein. Using this model, our preliminary observations show that ferritins from the healthy control are filled with a mineral compatible with ferrihydrite, while ferritins from the AD patient contain a crystalline phase with a larger magnetocrystalline anisotropy, possibly compatible with magnetite or maghemite.