Arazyme

Arazyme is a novel alkaline metalloprotease enzyme produced by the bacterium Serratia proteamaculans (formerly known as Aranicola proteolyticus) and also found in the spider Nephila clavata. It exhibits strong proteolytic activity and has demonstrated multiple biological effects, including anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and antitumor properties. Arazyme acts by hydrolyzing pro-inflammatory molecules such as bradykinin and histamine, directly cleaving cytokines (e.g., MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8), suppressing chemokine secretion (e.g., TARC/CCL17), upregulating skin barrier proteins (filaggrin, involucrin, loricrin), and modulating immune responses via Toll-like receptor 4 activation. Preclinical studies have shown its efficacy in models of atopic dermatitis (by reducing inflammation and IgE levels), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis (by suppressing hepatic steatosis), endothelial dysfunction-associated diseases (by reducing apoptosis and ROS production), obesity/metabolic syndrome models (improving glucose/lipid metabolism when combined with soy leaf extract), and melanoma metastasis inhibition through both direct cytostatic effects on tumor cells and induction of anti-protease antibodies that cross-react with tumor MMP-8[1][2][3][4][5][6][7].