X-Message-Number: 26580
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 18:04:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: nattokinase versus atherosclerosis

[Nattokinase might offer the most powerful protection yet against
atherosclerosis, of all Over-The-Counter supplements.]

Life Sci. 2003 Jul 25;73(10):1289-98.
Dietary supplementation of fermented soybean, natto, suppresses intimal
thickening and modulates the lysis of mural thrombi after endothelial
injury in rat femoral artery.
  We have previously demonstrated that natto-extracts containing
nattokinase (NK) inactivates plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and
then potentiates fibrinolytic activity. In the present study, we
investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with natto-extracts
on neointima formation and on thrombolysis at the site of endothelial
injury. Endothelial damage in the rat femoral artery was induced by
intravenous injection of rose bengal followed by focal irradiation by
transluminal green light. Dietary natto-extracts supplementation
containing NK of 50 or 100 CU/body was started 3 weeks
before endothelial injury and then continued for another 3 weeks. Intimal
thickening in animals given supplementation was significantly (P<0.01)
suppressed compared with controls and the intima/media ratio in animals
with 50 and 100 CU/body NK and control group was 0.09 +/- 0.03, 0.09 +/-
0.06 and 0.16 +/- 0.12, respectively. Although femoral arteries were
reopened both in control animals and those treated with NK within 8 hours
after endothelial injury, mural thrombi were histologically observed at
the site of endothelial injury. In the control group, the center of
vessel lumen was reopened and mural thrombi were attached on the surface
of vessel walls. In contrast, in NK-treated groups, thrombi near the
vessel wall showed lysis and most of them detached from the surface of
vessel walls. In conclusion, dietary natto-extracts supplementation
suppressed intimal thickening produced by endothelial injury in rat
femoral artery. These effects may partially be attributable to NK, which
showed enhanced thrombolysis near the vessel wall.

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