Nattokinase

Nattokinase is a potent fibrinolytic enzyme, found in Japanese traditional fermented food natto, which is produced by Bacillus subtilis upon soybean substrate. It is a serine‐protease with direct fibrinolytic activity and it has been produced by many host strains. Compared to other fibrinolytic enzymes (urokinase, t-PA and streprokinase), nattokinase shows the advantages of having no side effects, low cost and long life-time, and it has the potential to be used as a drug for treating cardiovascular disease and served as a functional food additive. Dozens of studies have focused on the characterization of intrinsic novel promoters and signal peptides to the secretory production of recombinant proteins in Bacillus subtilis.

Commercial Importance:

  • Dietary supplement/Nutraceutical: Being stable enough in the gastrointestinal tract makes this enzyme a useful agent for the oral thrombolytic therapy. NK exhibited considerably stronger thrombolytic activity than the fibrinogenolytic and fibrinolytic enzymes, plasmin, or elastase; which restored 15% and 0% of blood blow in the rat carotid artery, respectively

  • Treatment of hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, and vitreoretinal disorders.

  • At present, commercial NK products are widely-used in Japan, China, Korea, European Union Countries, Canada, and the United States as a food supplement to thin blood, prevent blood clots, and improve blood circulation. The potential of using NK to decrease atherothrombotic risk and slow the progression of atherosclerosis as well as cognitive decline is currently being assessed in a Phase II clinical trial.

  • Natto, a soybean product fermented by the bacterium, Bacillus subtilis (natto), has been consumed as a traditional food in Japan for over a thousand years. Reports have suggested that natto contributes significantly to the longevity of Japanese people. The accumulation of lipofusin (age pigment) is considered a hallmark of aging. In this regard, natto extract was reported to delay lipofusin accumulation in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. The lifespan of C. elegans was also significantly prolonged by the Natto extract.

  • Consumption of nattokinase was associated with a reduction in both systolic and diastolic BP. The reduction in systolic BP was seen for both sexes but was more robust in males consuming nattokinase. A decrease in vWF was seen in the female population consuming nattokinase and an increase was seen for 66% of the people after 8-week consumption of nattokinase.