nattokinase

Introduction

• Nattokinase is an enzyme that comes from a Japanese food called natto
• Natto is made from boiled soybeans fermented with bacterium Bacillus subtilis

Uses

• prevention & treatment of cardiovascular disease

* no good scientific evidence to support these uses

Contraindications

• patients with coagulation disorders
• patients undergoing anticoagulant, fibrinolytic, or antithrombotic treatment

Dosage

Capsule: 100 mg

Mechanism of action

• cleaving & inactivating the plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)
• in the absence of PAI, nattokinase affects direct proteolysis of fibrin
• fibrinolytic activity of nattokinase is ~4-fold that of plasmin
• potential as an amyloid plaque-degrading agent
  • low doses of nattokinase increase expression of ADAM10, which belongs to a family of proteinases that degrade the amyloid precursor protein

More general terms

• pharmaceutical herb; medicinal herb; herbal supplement; botanical
• kinase or ATP-phosphotransferase
• fibrinolytic agent (thrombolytic agent)