In platelets, oxidative stress reportedly increases platelet adhesion to vessels, thus promoting the vascular pathology of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, it has been shown that β-amyloid (Aβ) can increase oxidative stress in platelets; however, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the signaling pathway of platelet adhesion induced by Aβ1–40, the major form of circulating Aβ, through Western blotting, immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. Additionally, we examined whether rosmarinic acid (RA), a natural polyphenol antioxidant, can modulate these processes. Our results show that Aβ1–40-induced platelet adhesion is mediated through NADPH oxidase/ROS/PKC-δ/integrin αIIb β3 signaling, and these signaling pathways are significantly inhibited by RA. Collectively, these results suggest that RA may have beneficial effects on platelet-associated vascular pathology in Alzheimer’s disease.
Funding: This research was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (HI18C0920), and by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education (2020R1I1A1A01071848).