New study shows that vitamin K2 as MK-7 may have neuroprotective qualities

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A recent study¹ conducted by researchers at Sapienza University of Rome found that vitamin K2 as menaquinone-7 (MK-7) may have neuroprotective properties. In the study, researchers examined the effects of MK-7 and menaquinone-4 (MK-4) on neuroblastoma cells to understand how different forms of vitamin K2 impact the expression of genes involved in neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.

Results showed that MK-7 was associated with the “downregulation of neurodegeneration- (PSEN1 and BACE1) and neuroinflammation- (IL-1β and IL-6) associated genes.” Additionally, genes related to protective rolls toward amyloidogenesis – involved in the formation and growth of amyloid structures – were upregulated (ADAM10 and ADAM17). After profiling DNA methylation patterns of genes known to be epigenetically regulated, the researchers found that there was a correlation between hypermethylation and the downregulation of PSEN1, IL-1β and IL-6. According to the researchers, this suggests that MK-7 may have neuroprotective qualities by mitigating neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory pathways, which is mediated by the hypermethylation of the regulatory regions of PSEN1, IL-1β and IL-6.

While the researchers acknowledge that the use of a tumor cell line is not the proper model of neurodegeneration or neuroinflammation, they do represent “a very useful preliminary (first-line) model to screen the molecular targets of exogenous compounds since these cells express all the genes involved in amyloid processing at discrete levels and show detectable basal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.” Therefore, the results through preliminary are promising and allow the researchers to refine analysis through animal models.

References

Orticello, M.; Cavallaro, R.A.; Antinori, D.; Raia, T,; Lucarelli, M.;Fuso, A. Amyloidogenic and Neuroinflammatory Molecular Pathways Are Contrasted Using Menaquinone 4 (MK4) and Reduced Menaquinone 7 (MK7R) in Association with Increased DNA Methylation in SK-N-BE Neuroblastoma Cell Line. Cells. 2024, 13 (1), 58. DOI: 10.3390/cells13010058