Natto: A medicinal and edible food with health function

Abstract

Natto is a soybean product fermented by natto bacteria. It is rich in a variety of amino acids, vitamins, proteins and active enzymes. It has a number of biological activities, such as thrombolysis, prevention of osteoporosis, antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant and so on. It is widely used in medicine, health-care food, biocatalysis and other fields. Natto is rich in many pharmacological active substances and has significant medicinal research value. This paper summarizes the pharmacological activities and applications of natto in and outside China, so as to provide references for further research and development of natto.

Keywords: active ingredients; application of natto; mechanisms of action; natto; pharmacological actions.

Fig. 1

Thrombolysis mechanisms of nattokinase (NK). NK stimulates endothelial cells to produce t-PA and inhibits PAL-1 T-PA activates fibrinogen to form plasmin, which dissolves thrombus skeleton structure fibrin net, and releases platelets, and blood flow gradually returns to normal.

Fig. 2

Antitumor process of natto extracts. NFDE and NWE could induce tumour cell autophagy at low concentrations (<3 μg/mL) or within a short time while the concentration increases to 5 μg/mL or after a moment, to be replaced by apoptosis. NFDE: natto freeze-drying extract; NEW: natto water extract; AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; ROS: reactive oxygen species.

Fig. 3

Antihypertensive mechanism of natto extracts. Feeding CFB to SHRs can reduce blood pressure, including inhibiting plasma renin activity, reducing renal angiotensin II concentration, increasing whole blood coagulation time and reducing euglobulin clot dissolution time. SHRs: the spontaneously hypertensive rats; CFB: the culture filtrates from B. subtilis natto; SPB: systolic blood pressure; ECLA: the euglobulin clot lysis time.

Fig. 4

Natto products in China.