Nattokinase: An Updated Critical Review on Challenges and Perspectives

Background: Natto, a fermented soybean food, has been consumed by oriental people for more than 1000 years. Nattokinase, formerly called subtilisin NAT, is a well-studied protease of microbial origin that possesses fibrinolytic (anti-clotting) activities. Due to its strong fibrinolytic and thrombolytic activity, Nattokinase is regarded as a precious dietary supplement or nutraceutical for the oral thrombolytic therapy. Nattokinase is witnessed to be a useful enzyme for the complete removal of the vitreous and associated proliferative tissues in proliferative vitreo retinal disorders. Conclusion: This review focuses on the native and recombinant Nattokinase from bacteria and other sources, their production, purification, immobilization and nano-immobilization studies, which aid in ameliorating their properties to suit the targeted industrial applications. Recent development in these fields are presented and discussed, and prospective developments are suggested.