Nanoparticular and other carriers to deliver lactoferrin for antimicrobial, antibiofilm and bone-regenerating effects: a review

Abstract

Bone and joint infections are a rare but serious problem worldwide. Lactoferrin’s antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity coupled with its bone-regenerating effects may make it suitable for improving bone and joint infection treatment. However, free lactoferrin (LF) has highly variable oral bioavailability in humans due to potential for degradation in the stomach and small intestine. It also has a short half-life in blood plasma. Therefore, encapsulating LF in nanocarriers may slow degradation in the gastrointestinal tract and enhance LF absorption, stability, permeability and oral bioavailability. This review will summarize the literature on the encapsulation of LF into liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, polymeric micro and nanoparticles and hydroxyapatite nanocrystals. The fabrication, characterization, advantages, disadvantages and applications of each system will be discussed and compared.

Targeting Intracellular Bacteria with Dual Drug-loaded Lactoferrin Nanoparticles

“…Lactoferrin-based nanocarrier formulations are promising options to deliver drugs to hard-to-treat intracellular bacteria and even more challenging cases such as biofilms. , Their small size, ability to encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs, and potential for targeted drug delivery are credited to this. Lactoferrin receptors are expressed on many cells including lung epithelial cells, macrophages, brain endothelial cells, liver cells, and cancer cells as well as some pathogenic bacteria, making them suitable to target therapeutic agents to these cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis. − S.…”

Lactoferrin as a Component of Pharmaceutical Preparations: An Experimental Focus

“…Many experimental approaches have been made to evaluate how different carrier systems, such as microparticles or nanoparticles and liposomes, can improve the stability of Lf. These oral delivery systems focused on the stability of Lf recently have been extensively reviewed [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Using an in vitro simulated digestive model, it has been shown that bLf is sensitive to gastric digestion [ 15 ], but when it is formulated in oral carriers, the systems’ proteolysis is decreased [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

The Multifaceted Roles of Bovine Lactoferrin: Molecular Structure, Isolation Methods, Analytical Characteristics, and Biological Properties

“…The encapsulation of LF by using natural-based materials, e.g. polysaccharides (chitosan, alginate, pectin, gum Arabic, heparin), lipids (phospholipids, cholesterol, soy lecithin), and proteins (caseins, whey proteins, gelatin), has become one of the fast-growing trends used for improving protein bioavailability. , Although LF is considered entirely safe for humans, more detailed clinical trials are required before its inclusion in medicinal products.…”