Effect of Anticoagulants on Amyloid β-Protein Precursor and Amyloid Beta Levels in Plasma.

Altered levels of amyloid β-protein precursor (AβPP) and/or amyloid beta (Aβ) are characteristic of several neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Down syndrome (DS), Fragile X syndrome (FXS), Parkinson's disease (PD), autism and epilepsy. Thus, these proteins could serve as valuable blood-based biomarkers for assessing disease severity and pharmacological efficacy. We have observed significant differences in Aβ_1-42 levels in human plasma dependent on the anticoagulant utilized during blood collection. Our data suggests that anticoagulants alter AβPP processing and that care needs to be used in comparing published studies that have not utilized the same blood collection methodology.