Beyond the Coagulation Cascade: Vitamin K and Its Multifaceted Impact on Human and Domesticated Animal Health

Rebecka A Sadler; Anna K Shoveller; Umesh K Shandilya; Armen Charchoglyan; Lauraine Wagter-Lesperance; Byram W Bridle; Bonnie A Mallard; Niel A Karrow

doi:10.3390/cimb46070418

Beyond the Coagulation Cascade: Vitamin K and Its Multifaceted Impact on Human and Domesticated Animal Health

Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2024 Jul 4;46(7):7001-7031. doi: 10.3390/cimb46070418.

Authors

Rebecka A Sadler¹, Anna K Shoveller¹, Umesh K Shandilya¹, Armen Charchoglyan^{2

3}, Lauraine Wagter-Lesperance^{2

4}, Byram W Bridle^{2

4}, Bonnie A Mallard^{2

4}, Niel A Karrow^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
² ImmunoCeutica Inc., Cambridge, ON N1T 1N6, Canada.
³ Advanced Analysis Centre, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
⁴ Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.

Abstract

Vitamin K (VK) is an essential micronutrient impacting many systems in the body. This lipid-soluble vitamin is found in various plant and animal products and is absorbed via the lymphatic system. This biomolecule's importance to human health includes but is not limited to its promotion of brain, cardiovascular, bone, and immune functions. These biological properties are also necessary for maintaining domesticated animal health. The synergistic impact of both VK and vitamin D (VD) maximizes these health benefits, specifically for the circulatory and skeletal systems. This manuscript reviews VK's properties, molecular structures, nutrikinetics, mechanisms of action, daily requirements, safety in supplemental form, biomarkers used for its detection, and impacts on various organs. The purpose of synthesizing this information is to evaluate the potential uses of VK for the treatment or prevention of diseases.

Keywords: MK-4; MK-7; anti-inflammation; apoptosis; coagulation; immunomodulation; microbiota; neuroprotection; phylloquinone; vitamin K.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

We would like to thank the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for providing a USRA salary to support the training of a summer student, R.A. Sadler, who is the primary author of this manuscript.