Potential of Lactoferrin in the Treatment of Lung Diseases

Abstract

Lactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional iron-binding glycoprotein that exhibits a variety of properties, such as immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer, that can be used to treat numerous diseases. Lung diseases continue to be the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Many of the therapies currently used to treat these diseases have limited efficacy or are associated with side effects. Therefore, there is a constant pursuit for new drugs and therapies, and LF is frequently considered a therapeutic agent and/or adjunct to drug-based therapies for the treatment of lung diseases. This article focuses on a review of the existing and most up-to-date literature on the contribution of the beneficial effects of LF on the treatment of lung diseases, including asthma, viral infections, cystic fibrosis, or lung cancer, among others. Although in vitro and in vivo studies indicate significant potency of LF in the treatment of the listed diseases, only in the case of respiratory tract infections do human studies seem to confirm them by demonstrating the effectiveness of LF in reducing episodes of illness and shortening the recovery period. For lung cancer, COVID-19 and sepsis, the reports are conflicting, and for other diseases, there is a paucity of human studies conclusively confirming the beneficial effects of LF.

The anticancer activity of bovine lactoferrin is reduced by deglycosylation and it follows a different pathway in cervix and colon cancer cells

“…Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) is a very abundant protein in cow's milk with claimed health effects (Artym et al., 2021 ; Hassoun & Sivamani, 2017 ; Kaczyńska et al., 2023 ; Miyakawa et al., 2023 ). The potential anticancer effect of bLF was described some time ago, as oral administration of bLF specifically inhibited the development of colon, bladder, esophagus, and lung tumors in rats at the post‐initiation stage, but the molecular mechanisms are yet to be determined (Masuda et al., 2000 ; Tsuda et al., 2000 ; Ushida et al., 1999 ).…”

Colostrum and Lactoferrin Protect against Side Effects of Therapy with Antibiotics, Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Steroids, and Psychophysical Stress: A Comprehensive Review

“…Over the past 60 years of intensive research, as many as 20 different physiological activities of LF have been described [ 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. In this article, we will mainly focus on LF, with particular attention being paid to its actions in the amelioration of side effects caused by antibiotic and NSAID therapies, as well as psychophysical stress, so LF activity is described below in some detail.…”

“…Other properties of LF, such as antistress, hypotensive and analgesic effects, are equally important. All of these effects of LF positively affect many aspects of our health, playing a particularly important role in the development of newborns and infants, as well as in older patients treated for a variety of infections (including bacteremia and sepsis) and during convalescence after serious diseases, surgery or chemotherapy [ 60 , 67 , 68 , 70 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. LF may be regarded as a “biological drug” which is active by systemic (oral, intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous) and topical (on mucous membranes and skin) administration [ 60 , 61 , 62 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 70 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 ].…”

“…Evidence from preclinical and clinical studies indicates that bovine-milk-derived LF has good bioavailability and a good safety profile with no serious side effects, both after systemic and topical use in humans and animals [ 73 , 77 , 78 , 83 , 84 ]. The protein is widely available and relatively cheap because it is isolated from milk in a well-established, standardized, large-scale manufacturing process [ 73 , 85 ].…”

Traditional Tibetan medicine: therapeutic potential in lung diseases

“…Many of the available therapies for lung diseases have limited effectiveness or are associated with side effects ( Kaczynska et al, 2023 ). Clofazimine, Amikacin, Tigecycline, and Linezolid are currently used to treat Mycobacterium abscessus complex-lung disease.…”