Nattokinase (pronounced ) is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

extracted and purified from a

Japanese food Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan ( Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and othe ...

called

nattō , spelled as natto in standard English language use, is a traditional Japanese food made from whole soybeans that have been fermented with ''Bacillus subtilis'' var. ''natto''. It is often served as a breakfast food with rice. It is served wi ...

. Nattō is produced by

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

by adding the bacterium ''

Bacillus natto ''Bacillus subtilis'', known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus ''Bacillu ...

'', which also produces the enzyme, to boiled

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

s. While other soy foods contain enzymes, it is only the nattō preparation that contains the specific nattokinase enzyme. In spite of its name, nattokinase is not a

kinase In biochemistry, a kinase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of phosphate groups from high-energy, phosphate-donating molecules to specific substrates. This process is known as phosphorylation, where the high-energy ATP molecule don ...

enzyme (and should not be pronounced as such), but a

serine protease Serine proteases (or serine endopeptidases) are enzymes that cleave peptide bonds in proteins. Serine serves as the nucleophilic amino acid at the (enzyme's) active site. They are found ubiquitously in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. ...

of the

subtilisin Subtilisin is a protease (a protein-digesting enzyme) initially obtained from ''Bacillus subtilis''. Subtilisins belong to subtilases, a group of serine proteases that – like all serine proteases – initiate the nucleophilic attack on the p ...

family (99.5% identical with ''aprE''). Rather, it is named for the fact that it is an enzyme produced by ''nattōkin'' ( 納豆菌), the Japanese name for ''Bacillus subtilis '' var ''natto''. When in contact with human blood or blood clots, it exhibits a strong

fibrinolytic Fibrinolysis is a process that prevents blood clots from growing and becoming problematic. Primary fibrinolysis is a normal body process, while secondary fibrinolysis is the breakdown of clots due to a medicine, a medical disorder, or some other ...

activity and works by inactivating plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1). Although it should be expected to be digested and inactivated in the human gut like other

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

s, a few researchers report that nattokinase is active when taken orally. Nattokinase is sold as a dietary supplement. It can now be produced by recombinant means and in batch culture, rather than relying on extraction from nattō. There are three well-known manufacturers around the world: Contek Life Science,

Daiwa Pharmaceutical Daiwa may refer to: Places: *Daiwa, Hiroshima, a former town in Kamo District, Hiroshima, Japan *Daiwa, Shimane, a former village in Ōchi District, Shimane, Japan Companies and related: *Daiwa Securities Group, a Japanese security brokerage *Daiw ...

, and the Japanese Nattokinase Association organized by Japan Bio Science Laboratory.

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Japan Functional Food Research Association
Enzymes Japanese cuisine

See also

References

External links