NSK-SD® was awarded a patent in Japan titled “Advanced Glycation Endproduct Production Inhibitor” for its proven ability to reduce AGEs. NSK-SD® is the first nattokinase introduced to the market and boasts more than 50 safety, efficacy, and characterization studies. Recent in-vivo studies have shown NSK-SD® can be effective in inhibiting the production of AGEs, which are proteins or lipids that become glycated from exposure to sugars. Excess AGEs are involved in the progression of diabetes and related complications.
The patent was based on results of two studies. One study, “Effect of nattokinase on the pathological conditions in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats” (Heliyon 10 2024 328835), showed that nattokinase suppressed production of AGEs in diabetic subjects.
The second study presented at the 2025 meeting of the Japanese Pharmacological Society showed how reducing AGEs can protect against tissue damage (a diabetic complication) through mediating inflammatory macrophages. In the study, nattokinase administration showed a tendency to suppress, in a dose-dependent manner, the expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) and the nitric oxide-generating enzyme iNOS during the induction of inflammatory responses in inflammatory macrophages. The study concluded that nattokinase (as NSK-SD®) may be used as an ingredient that targets glycation and inflammation.
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