Abstract
- Background
Vitamin $\text{K2-7}$, also known as menaquinone-7 ($\text{MK-7}$), is a form of vitamin K that exerts health-beneficial effects in osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and peripheral neuropathy. Compared to vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), $\text{K2-7}$ is absorbed more readily and exhibits higher bioavailability.
- Methods
This review examines the biochemical, molecular, and clinical mechanisms of vitamin $\text{K2-7}$. It details the role of $\text{K2-7}$ as an enzymatic cofactor in carboxylating target proteins, evaluates its effect on osteoclastogenesis and signal transduction, synthesizes findings from clinical trials regarding disease modulation and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamic ($\text{PK/PD}$) profiles, and analyzes its therapeutic impact across systemic inflammatory, metabolic, and oncological conditions.
- Results
Vitamin $\text{K2-7}$ acts as an essential cofactor converting undercarboxylated osteocalcin ($\text{ucOC}$) and matrix Gla protein ($\text{ucMGP}$) into carboxylated forms ($\text{cOC}$ and $\text{cMGP}$), facilitating calcium deposition in bone tissue while inhibiting vascular calcification. In bone metabolism, $\text{K2-7}$ upregulates osteoprotegerin—a decoy receptor for $\text{RANK}$ ligand ($\text{RANKL}$)—thereby suppressing bone resorption. $\text{K2-7}$ suppresses cancer cell proliferation by inducing cell-cycle arrest, autophagy, and apoptosis through pathways including $\text{PI3K/AKT}$, $\text{MAPK}$, $\text{JAK/STAT}$, and $\text{NF-}\kappa\text{B}$. Additionally, $\text{K2-7}$ downregulates pro-inflammatory cytokines ($\text{IL-1}\alpha$, $\text{IL-1}\beta$, and $\text{TNF-}\alpha$) and demonstrates clinical utility in mitigating peripheral neuropathy, reducing fracture risk, and improving metabolic and cardiovascular parameters.
- Conclusions
Vitamin $\text{K2-7}$ is a multi-targeted nutraceutical with clear clinical utility and molecular rationales for disease management. Delineating its clinical pharmacokinetics and optimal dosing strategies underscores the necessity of incorporating $\text{K2-7}$ supplementation into global dietary practices.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9237441/