Weng Yunqi, Yao Jian, Sparks Sawyer, Wang Kevin Yueju
Emergency Department, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266005, China.
Department of Natural Sciences, Northeastern State University at Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow, OK 74014, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Feb 28;18(3):523. doi: 10.3390/ijms18030523.
Natto, a fermented soybean product, has been consumed as a traditional food in Japan for thousands of years. Nattokinase (NK), a potent blood-clot dissolving protein used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, is produced by the bacterium during the fermentation of soybeans to produce Natto. NK has been extensively studied in Japan, Korea, and China. Recently, the fibrinolytic (anti-clotting) capacity of NK has been recognized by Western medicine. The National Science Foundation in the United States has investigated and evaluated the safety of NK. NK is currently undergoing a clinical trial study (Phase II) in the USA for atherothrombotic prevention. Multiple NK genes have been cloned, characterized, and produced in various expression system studies. Recombinant technology represents a promising approach for the production of NK with high purity for its use in antithrombotic applications. This review covers the history, benefit, safety, and production of NK. Opportunities for utilizing plant systems for the large-scale production of NK, or for the production of edible plants that can be used to provide oral delivery of NK without extraction and purification are also discussed.
纳豆是一种发酵豆制品，在日本作为传统食物已食用了数千年。纳豆激酶（NK）是一种用于治疗心血管疾病的强效溶解血栓蛋白，由大豆发酵制成纳豆的过程中，该细菌产生此蛋白。NK在日本、韩国和中国都得到了广泛研究。最近，NK的纤溶（抗凝血）能力已得到西医认可。美国国家科学基金会已对NK的安全性进行了调查和评估。目前，NK正在美国进行一项预防动脉粥样血栓形成的临床试验研究（II期）。在各种表达系统研究中，多个NK基因已被克隆、表征并生产出来。重组技术是一种很有前景的方法，可用于生产高纯度的NK，用于抗血栓应用。这篇综述涵盖了NK的历史、益处、安全性和生产情况。还讨论了利用植物系统大规模生产NK，或生产可用于不经提取和纯化即可口服递送NK的可食用植物的机会。
