Emerging Roles for Vitamin K2-7 in Cellular Energy Pathways

Praful Saha, Vivek Basudkar, Tanay Mehta, Dishant Maniar, Dr. Sujit Nair

Praful Saha, Vivek Basudkar, Tanay Mehta, Dishant Maniar, Dr. Sujit Nair

Keywords: Vitamin K2-7, energy pathway, muscle metabolism, protein expression, oxidative phosphorylation

Abstract

Vitamin K exists in three distinct forms, vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), vitamin K2 (menaquinone), and vitamin K3 (menadione). Vitamin K2 is chemically present in different forms based on several isoprene units. Among them, menaquinone-7 (MK-7 or K2-7) remains in the bloodstream for a longer period and acts as an important cofactor in numerous biological processes.Also, it is clinically proven to possess numerous health benefits in the treatment of various diseases. Energy metabolism involves a complex biochemical process that produces energy from nutrients. This energy is required to perform different physiological functions, cellular processes, thermal homeostasis, and organ function. Nutrients undergo a series of metabolic pathways like glycolysis, citric acid cycles, β-oxidation, and oxidative phosphorylation to produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate. These energy pathways are regulated by hormones and enzymes. Also, recent clinical studies have shown that K2-7 has been useful in fat loss suggesting the role of K2-7 in metabolism. To understand the mechanism of K2-7 in these metabolic processes, there is a need to explore the activity of K2-7 on these pathways. Hence,we have comprehensively discussed the energy pathways and potential targets of K2-7 in the modulation of energy pathways.

Conflict of Interest: Praful Saha, Vivek Basudkar, Dishant Maniar and Dr. Sujit Nair are employees of Viridis Biopharma Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India.

Source of Support: None declared

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