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Systemic Enzymes 101
NEC White Paper
By: Rich Mahalik, Director of Innovation & Product Development Most people realize that enzyme supplements can be used
for digestive nutritional support, but the use of enzymes for
systemic nutritional support is less well known. Supplemental
enzymes for digestive support are fairly straightforward to
understand. They add additional enzymes to our digestive
tract supplementing our natural enzymes to help digest food.
Supplemental enzymes for systemic use are a little more
complicated. Just like digestive enzymes, they supplement the
enzymes the body already produces, but in addition they replace
depletions throughout the body, rather than just the digestive
tract. To date, systemic enzyme supplements are recognized
as either proteases or antioxidant enzymes. Research into the
systemic application of various enzymes is ongoing and the
future may include additional categories. The sources of systemic
enzymes are the same as digestive enzymes: plants, animals
and microbial fermentation products.
Systemic proteases are recognized as the better known,
well-researched and more varied group of systemic enzymes.
The easiest way to understand systemic proteases is to try
to understand the role of endogenous proteases that are
reabsorbed in the digestive tract. The body uses trypsin,
chymotrypsin, pepsin and other proteases not just for digestion,
but also as signaling mechanisms and as defensin proteins. They
can also act indirectly as signaling molecules because of the
amino acids released in digestion. An example of this is when
proteases release the amino acid leucine. When this amino acid
is absorbed, its presence signals to muscle tissue that the correct
April 2013
amino acids are available for muscle growth, and increased
muscle growth results. Leucine can be released by endogenous
enzymes and enhanced by supplemental enzymes. The same is
true of other amino acids and short chain peptides that may be
released from food by proteases. Another place proteases have
a systemic signaling effect is in the stomach. There are dendritic
cells in the mucous lining that receive signals from the release of
pepsin, suppressing the immune response in the stomach cells to
the food present so that the immune system does not overreact
to the presence of food.
Proteases also play an important role in immunity. Endogenous
human lactoferrin, a defensin serine protease, is present in
nearly all fluids in the body and is released by white blood
cells when antigens are present. It is able to attack and disable
invaders, and inhibit their penetration into cells. It is also able
to bind endotoxins from dead bacteria, neutralizing them
until other enzymes can degrade them in the liver. In addition,
lactoferrin can attenuate and regulate immune responses to
both infections and allergens.
The body also uses endogenous proteases from the intestines
such as trypsin and chymotrypsin as defensive proteins. As
part of the recycling of these enzymes, the body absorbs these
proteases from the digestive tract, forming an enzyme complex
that completely surrounds the enzyme with molecules such
as alpha-macroglobulin so that it does not damage healthy
tissue. In this form, only very short-chain peptides can reach
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the enzyme, serving the additional function of clearing the
bloodstream of random short chain peptides. This complexed
protease in circulation is then used by the body as a defensive
protein in the immune system, recycled in the liver, or returned
to the pancreas for reuse as a digestive enzyme depending on
the needs of the body. As a defensive protein, it is directed to
the site of inflammation by the immune system, where the
immune system uses it as a tool to protect cells, signal other
cells, or to degrade unwanted or invasive proteins. When used
in this manner, they have antioxidant, immune-stimulatory,
immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects, depending
on how your immune system is directing them. Basically, they
are a tool of the immune system that it uses to interact with
cells and proteins to signal or degrade them.
So how does the body use supplemental proteases such as
bovine lactoferrin, bromelain and fungal proteases? The
body is a very complex organism that is also very efficient.
The traditional simplistic view of the digestive tract that has
been taught in elementary school is that the digestive system
breaks everything down into the smallest components (amino
acids in the case of proteins) and then absorbs them and builds
what it needs. This is true of many compounds that are not
readily available in our diet, but it is also known that many
compounds that our body is able to synthesize are absorbed
intact from the digestive system to save energy or because our
body is not making enough.
A good example is vitamin D. Our body synthesizes it
using sunlight in cells in the skin, but many of people don’t
produce enough because they do not get enough sunlight.
To compensate for the deficiency, the body recognizes and
absorbs vitamin D from the digestive tract to compensate for
the deficiency. Similarly, the body has a limited capacity to
synthesize proteases quickly. Proteases are proteins that are
very complex molecules that require a lot of energy and amino
acids to synthesize. Plants, animals and microbial organisms
contain a lot of proteases that are very similar to human
proteases. When the body has a need, and recognizes these
proteins, it will absorb them from the digestive tract in the
same manner as it reabsorbs human trypsin, and uses them for
the same purposes.
The important thing to remember when trying to understand
supplemental proteins is they are more like supplemental
vitamins for your immune system than drugs. Most drugs
are designed to inhibit some aspect or aspects of either your
body’s function, or of a pathogen’s function. Supplemental
proteases are similar to supplementing normally non-essential
vitamins in that they save the body the energy of synthesizing
a tool it already makes, allowing that energy to be used
elsewhere. They also provide an additional supply when the
body cannot keep up with the demand.
The other recognized group of systemic enzymes is the
anti-oxidant enzymes. The body produces many different
antioxidants, including antioxidant enzymes such as
peroxidases, catalases, superoxide dismutases, and lactoferrin.
While lactoferrin is a protease, its structure allows it to
act as an antioxidant in the presence of oxidative species.
These endogenous enzymes are often present in significant
concentrations in the bloodstream and most other bodily
fluids. Like proteases, antioxidant enzymes migrate
throughout the body as directed by the body’s regulatory
mechanisms.
Similarly, research demonstrates that the body is able to
recognize at least some of these antioxidant enzymes, and
absorb them. Once absorbed, the immune system directs these
enzymes to help reduce oxidative stress in the body. For those
enzymes which are not absorbed, they can have an antioxidant
effect that benefits the entire body by reducing levels of
oxidative stress in the intestines. If the oxidative stress is
reduced locally, the immune system does not have to mobilize
other antioxidant systems, reducing the overall demand on the
antioxidant immune capacity.
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Again, like the proteases, the antioxidant enzymes are
supplementing the body’s natural enzymes just like a vitamin
can supplement the body’s natural vitamins. It is intended
to be used by the body if needed, not to alter the healthy
functioning of the body.
Many systemically useful enzymes are present in the foods
we eat, and even the herbal supplements we take. National
Enzyme Company is committed to identifying new sources of
high quality supplemental enzymes we already consume and
providing them in a consistent standardized form as it already
does with proteases and antioxidant enzymes.
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©2014 National Enzyme Company. All Rights Reserved.