Background: Recent studies have revealed that atrial fibrillation (AF) patients have a high risk of developing cognitive impairment, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Some reports suggest that the application of oral anticoagulant with an appropriate dose may have a preventive effect on AD. However, which oral anticoagulant drug is more appropriate for preventing AD and the underlying mechanism(s) is still unknown.
Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the treatment effect of rivaroxaban administration as well as investigate the roles of PAR-1 and PAR-2 in the AD + CAA mice model.
Methods: In the present study, we compared a traditional oral anticoagulant, warfarin, and a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), rivaroxaban, via long-term administration to an AD with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) mice model.
Results: Rivaroxaban treatment attenuated neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, memory deficits, and amyloid-β deposition through PAR-1/PAR-2 inhibition in the AD + CAA mice model compared with warfarin and no-treatment groups.
Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that rivaroxaban can attenuate AD progress and can be a potential choice to prevent AD.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cerebral amyloid angiopathy chronic cerebral hypoperfusion; rivaroxaban; warfarin.