Commentary on method for detection of menaquinone-7 in dietary supplements

Enhancing menaquinone-7 biosynthesis through strengthening precursor supply and product secretion

Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) is an important class of vitamin K2 that is essential in human health and can prevent osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. However, due to the complex synthesis pathway, the synthesis efficiency is low. The main objective of this study was to explore the effect of enhanced supply of precursors in Bacillus natto. Three precursors of pyruvate, shikimic acid, and sodium glutamate were chosen to investigate the effect of enhanced supply of precursors on MK-7 synthesis. Then, the optimal concentrations, different combinations, and different adding times were systematically studied, respectively. Results showed that the combination of shikimic acid and sodium glutamate could boost MK-7 production by 2 times, reaching 50 mg/L of MK-7 titer and 0.52 mg/(L·h) of MK-7 productivity. Furthermore, adding shikimic acid and sodium glutamate initially and feeding pyruvate at 48 h and 72 h increased MK-7 production to 58 mg/L. At the same time, the expression of the three related genes was also significantly upregulated. Subsequently, a new fermentation strategy combining the precursors enhancement and product secretion was proposed to enhance MK-7 yield and MK-7 productivity to 63 mg/L and 0.45 mg/(L·h). This study proposed a new fermentation regulation strategy for the enhancement of vitamin K2 biosynthesis.

Off-line two-dimensional LC-tandem MS of menaquinones from thermophilic bacteria

Thermophilic bacteria of four genera in contrast to the commonly used production strains such as Bacillus subtilis, produce homologs other than menaquinone (MK) with seven isoprene units. The number of isoprene units and the configuration of double bonds are essential factors for their biological activity. The goal was to obtain a strain of bacteria that produces a wide range of MK homologs and only all-trans geometrical isomers, which was the strain G. kaustophilus. Using off-line two-dimensional LC-tandem MS in columns with the RP18 phase and the COSMOSIL cholester phase (separation according to the geometric configuration of double bonds) it was shown that thermophilic bacteria grown at different temperatures produce only all-trans isomers of menaquinones from MK-5 (menaquinone with five isoprenyl units) to MK-15 (fifteen isoprenyl units). Therefore, G. kaustophilus appears to be a biotechnologically important strain produces only trans isomers and additionally homologs from 5 to 15 isoprene units.

New Insights into Vitamin K-From Its Natural Sources through Biological Properties and Chemical Methods of Quantitative Determination

Vitamin K is one of the many health-promoting substances whose impact on the human body has been underestimated until recently. However, recently published research results have changed this situation, prompting some researchers to consider it a new panacea for diseases of old age. The result is a significant increase in interest in the accurate analysis of vitamin K in various types of samples, ranging from food, through dietary supplements, to biological matrices and clinical trials, both observational and interventional. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about the proven and speculated biological activity of vitamin K and its importance for the world's aging societies, including the methods used for its isolation and analysis in various matrices types. Of all the analytical methods, the currently preferred methods of choice for the direct analysis of vitamin K are chromatographic methods, in particular liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. This technique, despite its sensitivity and selectivity, requires an appropriate stage of sample preparation. As there is still room for improvement in the efficiency of these methods, especially at the sample preparation stage, this review shows the directions that need to be taken to make these methods faster, more efficient and more environmentally friendly.

Effects of Alkali Stress on the Growth and Menaquinone-7 Metabolism of Bacillus subtilis natto

Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) is an important vitamin K₂, synthesized from the menaquinone parent ring and seven isoprene side chains. Presently, the synthesis of MK-7 stimulated by environmental stress primarily focuses on oxygen stress, while the effect of alkali stress is rarely studied. Therefore, this study researched the effects of alkali stress on the fermentation performance and gene expression of Bacillus subtilis natto. The organism’s growth characteristics, biomass, sporogenesis, MK-7 biosynthesis, and gene expression were analyzed. After a pH 8.5 stress adaptation treatment for 0.5 h and subsequent fermentation at pH 8.5, which promoted the growth of the strain and inhibited the spore formation rate. In addition, biomass was significantly increased (P < 0.05). The conversion rate of glycerol to MK-7 was 1.68 times higher than that of the control group, and the yield of MK-7 increased to 2.10 times. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the MK-7 high-yielding strain had enhanced carbon source utilization, increased glycerol and pyruvate metabolism, enhanced the Embden-Meyerhof pathway (EMP), tricarboxylic acid (TCA) circulation flux, and terpenoid biosynthesis pathway, and promoted the accumulation of acetyl-CoA, the side-chain precursor of isoprene. At the same time, the up-regulation of transketolase increased the metabolic flux of the pentose phosphate (HMP) pathway, which was conducive to the accumulation of D-erythrose 4-phosphate, the precursor of the menadione parent ring. This study’s results contribute to a better understanding of the effects of environmental stress on MK-7 fermentation by Bacillus subtilis natto and the molecular regulatory mechanism of MK-7 biosynthesis.