A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food has tested and confirmed the role of vitamin K2 as MK-7 (menaquinone-7; MenaQ7 provided by NattoPharma) in modulation of the immune and inflammatory biomarkers.###“Chronic inflammation is considered an underlying pathology of many diseases that remain poorly understood and treated,” the researchers wrote. ###“Cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of mortality in the world, is not only considered as a disorder of lipid accumulation, but also as a disease characterized by low-grade inflammation of the endothelial cells and an inappropriate healing response of the vascular lining.”###The commonly recognized function of vitamin K is a cofactor for c-glutamyl carboxylase, an endoplasmic enzyme involved in the posttranslational carboxylation (activation) of proteins with glutamic acid (Glu) residues into c-carboxyglutamate (Gla). ###With the carboxylation of glutamic acid residues on the protein substrate, a negative chemical group is formed that attracts and binds positively charged calcium cation. ###Vitamin K2, in particular, is responsible for carboxylation and activation of osteocalcin, which is essential for physiology of bone-building cells, osteoblasts. ###Vitamin K2 helps in carboxylation and activation of another protein besides osteocalcin, that is, matrix GLA protein, important for elasticity and prevention of calcification of blood vessels.###To that end, researchers evaluated high-pcalcium citrate usp verifiedurity natural vitamin K2 (98.4% menaquinone-7, MK-7, as MenaQ7) in vitro for its potential to inhibit gene expression and production of pro-inflammatory markers by human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDMs) from two sources (hMDMs and THP-1).###The results showed that the MK-7 form of vitamin K2 is able to dose dependentlmayo clinic magnesium citratey inhibit TNF-a, IL-1a, and IL-1b gene expression and citracal 600 plus dprotein production by healthy hMDMs in vitro. ###“Inmetabolic maintenance magnesium citrate view of these encouraging findings on the anti-inflammatory properties of MK-7, we plan to test additional biomarkers of immune and inflammatory respxtralife zinc 25 mg gluconateonse in this form of vitamin K2 in vitro,” the researchers say. ###“This work may elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of vitamin K2 and establish the potential biomarker targets in clinical testing of the role of MK-7 in the cardiovascular health as well as other chronic degenerative conditions.”