What Is Serrapeptase Used for and Are There Side Effects?

Serrapeptase is an enzyme that's used in therapeutic applications around the world. Serrapeptase is used to boost the immune system, break down food, build muscle, and has other applications.

Serrapeptase, also referred to as serratiopeptidase, is an enzyme that’s used in therapeutic applications around the world. There is some evidence that serrapeptase may be useful in many areas, but studies are still needed to determine its effectiveness.

Serrapeptase is a proteolytic enzyme that was initially isolated from bacteria in the intestines of silkworms. Areas like Japan and Europe have been using serrapeptase for therapeutic applications for decades.

Enzymes are a type of protein. While they have a lot of jobs within the body, one of their primary roles is to aid in digestion by helping the body break down food. Proteolytic enzymes are the digestive enzymes that break down protein into amino acids. The body then uses these amino acids to make proteins that help the body with processes like:

• Boosting your immune system
• Breaking down food
• Building muscle
• Growing and repairing body tissue
• Growing healthy hair, nails, and skin
• Producing hormones and neurotransmitters (brain chemicals)
• Promoting normal digestion

These proteins can also serve as a source of energy for your body.

Several types of enzymes have been approved by the FDA to help treat heart disease. Enzymes have also been used to treat:

• Bleeding disorders
• Cancer
• Digestive disorders
• Genetic disorders
• Inflammations
• Wounds

There are a few issues that make enzymes difficult to use in conventional medical care. Their large size makes it difficult for them to spread throughout your body. Your immune system may see them as a threat. They also don’t live long and can be impure.

Despite these problems, there are some conditions that may benefit from the use of enzymes.

Primarily, serrapeptase is used to fight inflammation. Serrapeptase may also have analgesic, anti-biofilm, and fibrinolytic effects.

Serrapeptase as an anti-inflammatory

Inflammation is a reaction by your immune system. When something is in your body that isn’t supposed to be (like a virus or bacteria) or when you suffer an injury, your immune system springs into action. It sends out inflammatory cells to trap the invader or to start healing injured tissue. This is called acute inflammation.

But sometimes, your body keeps sending out inflammatory cells when it doesn’t need to, known as chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can be caused by autoimmune disorders, exposure to toxins, or untreated infection or injury. Some lifestyle factors can also increase your risk of chronic inflammation, like excessively drinking alcohol, smoking, and chronic stress.

The first use of serrapeptase to fight inflammation was in Japan in 1957. Since then, there have been many small clinic trials that look promising. Many studies have shown that serrapeptase works well for reducing inflammation after surgery, and sometimes pain as well. 

Other studies, though, have contradictory results. Despite no solid clinical evidence, the use of enzymes like serrapeptase to treat inflammation is on the rise. More testing needs to be done to prove the benefits of serrapeptase and to determine the proper dosage for use.

Serrapeptase as an analgesic

Analgesics are medications that relieve pain, like ibuprofen or opioids. Several studies have shown that patients who took serrapeptase showed a decrease in pain levels. Like with the use of serrapeptase to reduce inflammation, there were also studies that showed that serrapeptase didn’t have much of an effect on pain. 

Serrapeptase as an anti-biofilm

Bacterial biofilms are made when bacteria group together and form a protective coating over themselves. Bacterial biofilms can happen outside the body or inside. When they’re inside the body and cause infection, the biofilm makes them hard to treat. The danger of biofilms is that they’re often resistant to antibiotics.

Enzymes are often able to destroy the biofilm, making the bacteria vulnerable to antibiotics. So far, tests on humans and in a laboratory setting have shown that serrapeptase may be a promising treatment for bacterial biofilms. Studies have shown that serrapeptase is not only able to break apart biofilm, but is able to stop them from forming in the first place.

Serrapeptase as a fibrinolytic

Fibrinolytic medications are medications used to break up blood clots. Blood clots are globs of gel-like blood. Your blood typically clots to prevent you from bleeding out if you get a cut. But sometimes, these clots form inside your body and don’t dissolve. If these clots reach your heart, lungs, or brain, they can cause lasting complications and even death.

Serrapeptase has been known to act as a fibrinolytic. It’s been observed dissolving blood clots as well as breaking down plaques within arteries.

Serrapeptase is generally considered safe. Most studies report no side effects from taking serrapeptase, but a few studies have recorded rare side effects. 

A case report from 2014 describes a female patient with Stevens-Johnson syndrome that happened after she took serrapeptase with the medication diclofenac. Stevens-Johnson syndrome is an illness that starts with flu-like symptoms and then progresses to a blistering rash on the skin and the mucous membranes. This is a rare reaction that is usually caused by a medication. It’s unclear if this reaction was due to the dosage of serrapeptase or its combination with diclofenac, or something else altogether.  

A 2016 case report describes a man who had been taking serrapeptase after having a root canal. A week after the root canal, his swelling had increased and doctors discovered a deep abscess. After the abscess was drained and the patient stopped taking serrapeptase, he was able to recover. The authors of the case study theorized that, as serrapeptase is known to dissolve dead tissue, perhaps it dissolved the wall of the abscess, causing it to spread deeper. They concluded that while serrapeptase has many therapeutic functions, it should be used with caution when there is an abscess.

Serrapeptase has a lot of promise for a lot of treatments. As of yet, the FDA has not approved serrapeptase as a pharmaceutical ingredient, though it is available to purchase as a supplement. More studies are needed to determine the full effects of serrapeptase as well as the ideal dosage. Before taking serrapeptase, check with your doctor.