Lactoferrin is an 80 kDa major protein component of mammalian colostral whey. The antimicrobial active centre of lactoferrin, lactoferricin (Lfcin), may also be an important determinant of the interaction between lactoferrin and specific receptors on lymphocytes. We have documented the survival in vivo of ingested lactoferrin in the gastrointestinal tract of adult mice by surface-enhanced laser...

A suspension tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cell line was transformed to express human lactoferrin, an iron-binding glycoprotein. The transgenic calli produced a protein that was significantly smaller than the full-length lactoferrin protein. Total protein extracts made from transgenic tobacco callus exhibited much higher antibacterial activity than commercially available purified lactoferrin a...

We found new inhibitory function of lactoferrin and beta-casein in milk against cysteine proteases using reverse zymography. The inhibition of cathepsin L by lactoferrin was strongest and the inhibition kinetics were of a non-competitive type. Heat denatured lactoferrin lost the inhibitory activity completely, therefore the tertiary structure is essential to show the inhibition. Native lactofer...

59Fe-labelled human lactoferrin was found to be preferentially ingested by mouse alveolar macrophages (MAM) when compared to 59Fe-labelled human transferrin. The cells bound and ingested 125I-labelled iron-saturated and iron-free lactoferrin. The latter was digested faster (t1/2 = 5.8 hours), however, than the iron-saturated compound (t1/2 = 10.5 hours). The constant elimination of the Fe-lacto...

titanium (ti) is a relatively abundant element that has found growing applications in medical science and recently some of ti compounds are introduced as anticancer drugs. in spite of very limited data which exist on the ti metabolism, some proteins might be involved in the mechanism of action of ti. up to our knowledge, there is not any report in the literature concerning binding of ti to apol...

Lactoferrin, a major whey protein, is a red iron-binding protein present mainly in external secretions such as breast milk and in polymorphonuclear neutrophils. The presence of lactoferrin in body fluids is proportional to the flux of neutrophils and its assessment can provide a reliable biomarker for inflammation. In gastrointestinal diseases increased fecal lactoferrin is a sensitive and spec...

The serum concentrations of lactoferrin were determined by competitive enzyme immunoassay in the sera of 38 lepromatous leprosy patients and 16 healthy volunteers. Of the 38 lepromatous patients, 25 were without any sign of reactions while 13 were suffering from ENL type of reactions. The lactoferrin levels, in both types of patients, were observed to be significantly higher (P < 0.01 and < 0.0...

Purified human lactoferrin was assessed for its influence in vivo in untreated mice and in mice undergoing rebound myelopoiesis after sublethal dosages of Cytoxan. Fully iron-saturated lactoferrin suppressed the numbers of granulocytes and monocytes per femur, the numbers of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM) per femur and spleen, and decreased the cycle status of femoral and sple...

PURPOSE To investigate whether reoxygenation after extended hypoxia causes cellular damage in cultured corneal epithelial cells and to demonstrate the protective effects of lactoferrin. METHODS Immortalized human corneal epithelial cells (T-HCECs) were cultured to confluence in 96-well culture plates, subjected to stringent hypoxia (1% O2, 5% CO2, 94% N2 at 37 degrees C) for 24 hours, and ret...

Lactoferrin is a ubiquitous, secretory, iron binding glycoprotein found in exocrine secretions such as saliva, pancreatic secretions and bile of mammals, including humans. It is considered a member of the transferrin family due to a close resemblance in molecular structure and size. Lactoferrin is produced in neutrophils and stored in specific granules. Its secretion from polymorphonuclear cell...