ArticleBiochemical and biophysical research communications2021
Natto extract, a Japanese fermented soybean food, directly inhibits viral infections including SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.
Article in Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dietary supplementation with natto fermented by Bacillus subtilis var. natto strain TTCC903 alleviates heat stress and improves egg production in aged laying hens.Poultry science · 2026Article
- In vivo Assessment of the Potential Protective Effects of Traditional Kumis Against SARS-CoV-2 in a Transgenic Mouse Model.Food and environmental virology · 2026Article
- Antiviral activity of Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease against bovine alphaherpesvirus-1 in vitro.The Journal of veterinary medical science · 2026Article
- Soybean Synergies: A Comprehensive Review on Novel Extraction Techniques and Their Role in Unlocking Health Potential.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Comparative Cardioprotective Effectiveness: NOACs vs. Nattokinase-Bridging Basic Research to Clinical Findings.Biomolecules · 2024Review
- Review
- Natto: A medicinal and edible food with health function.Chinese herbal medicines · 2023Review
- Strategies for the Management of Spike Protein-Related Pathology.Microorganisms · 2023Review
- Effect of Fermentation on the Nutritional Quality of the Selected Vegetables and Legumes and Their Health Effects.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Observational
- The potential role of ischaemia-reperfusion injury in chronic, relapsing diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Long COVID, and ME/CFS: evidence, mechanisms, and therapeutic implications.The Biochemical journal · 2022Review
- Degradative Effect of Nattokinase on Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Fermented Soy Products and Their Potential Health Benefits: A Review.Microorganisms · 2022Review
- Influence of Nutritional Intakes in Japan and the United States on COVID-19 Infection.Nutrients · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Natto, a traditional Japanese fermented soybean food, is well known to be nutritious and beneficial for health. In this study, we examined whether natto impairs infection by viruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as well as bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1). Interestingly, our results show that both SARS-CoV-2 and BHV-1 treated with a natto extract were fully inhibited infection to the cells. We also found that the glycoprotein D of BHV-1 was shown to be degraded by Western blot analysis and that a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) was proteolytically degraded when incubated with the natto extract. In addition, RBD protein carrying a point mutation (UK variant N501Y) was also degraded by the natto extract. When the natto extract was heated at 100 °C for 10 min, the ability of both SARS-CoV-2 and BHV-1 to infect to the cells was restored. Consistent with the results of the heat inactivation, a serine protease inhibitor inhibited anti-BHV-1 activity caused by the natto extract. Thus, our findings provide the first evidence that the natto extract contains a protease(s) that inhibits viral infection through the proteolysis of the viral proteins.
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