Therapeutic uses and applications of bovine lactoferrin in aquatic animal medicine: an overview

Abstract

Aquaculture is an important food sector throughout the globe because of its importance in ensuring the availability of nutritious and safe food for human beings. In recent years, this sector has been challenged with several obstacles especially the emergence of infectious disease outbreaks. Various treatment and control aspects, including antibiotics, antiseptics, and other anti-microbial agents, have been used to treat farmed fish and shrimp against diseases. Nonetheless, these medications have been prohibited and banned in many countries because of the development of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial strains, the accumulation of residues in the flesh of farmed fish and shrimp, and their environmental threats to aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, scientists and researchers have concentrated their research on finding natural and safe products to control disease outbreaks. From these natural products, bovine lactoferrin can be utilized as a functional feed supplement. Bovine lactoferrin is a multi-functional glycoprotein applied in various industries, like food preservation, and numerous medications, due to its non-toxic and ecological features. Recent research has proposed multiple advantages and benefits of using bovine lactoferrin in aquaculture. Reports showed its potential ability to enhance growth, reduce mortalities, regulate iron metabolism, decrease disease outbreaks, stimulate the antioxidant defense system, and recuperate the overall health conditions of the treated fish and shrimp. Besides, bovine lactoferrin can be considered as a safe antibiotic alternative and a unique therapeutic agent to decrease the negative impacts of infectious diseases. These features can be attributed to its well-known antibacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory, and antioxidant capabilities. This literature review will highlight the implications of bovine lactoferrin in aquaculture, particularly highlighting its therapeutic features and ability to promote immunological defensive pathways in fish. The information included in this article would be valuable for further research studies to improve aquaculture’s sustainability and the functionality of aquafeeds.

Dietary Effect of S-Methylmethionine Sulfonium Chloride on Growth, Serum Biochemical Parameters, Body Composition, and Expression of Some Related Genes in Oreochromis niloticus

“…There is a substantial relationship between the physical anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract and the dietary practices of fish . Also, it is possible to develop a fish immune defense system against infectious diseases by providing a balanced diet that supports gut health and digestion (Dawood, 2021;Abdelnour et al, 2023). In the present investigation, dietary MMSC supplementation resulted in increased villus height and crypt depth of the intestine.…”

Oral administration of LfcinB alleviates DSS-induced colitis by improving the intestinal barrier and microbiota

“…Bovine lactoferrin is a multifunctional glycoprotein found in milk, is nontoxic, has a high degree of antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities, 23 and is used in a wide variety of applications. Today, more and more antimicrobial peptides are being found to have therapeutic effects on intestinal inflammation.…”

Bovine Lactoferrin and Hen Ovotransferrin Affect Virulence Factors of Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND)-Inducing Vibrio parahaemolyticus Strains

“…Antibiotics have been used and, at times, misused for decades to address bacterial diseases in aquaculture [13], resulting in the pollution of aquatic ecosystems and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including V. parahaemolyticus and other Vibrio species [14][15][16]. Consequently, many countries have implemented prohibitions and restrictions on the use of antibiotics, creating a pressing demand for novel, sustainable alternatives [13,17]. In the present study, we investigated the potential of two such alternatives, bovine lactoferrin (bLF) and hen ovotransferrin (OT), belonging to the family of transferrins (TFs), a class of multifunctional glycoproteins naturally found in both vertebrates and invertebrates.…”

“…This family has conserved characteristics and all primarily serve to control iron levels in biological fluids [18]. Beyond their iron transport function, TFs have gained significant attention for their involvement in immune defense mechanisms such as antibacterial, -fungal, -viral, -parasitic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities [17,19,20]. Both TFs used in this study, bLF and OT, are easily accessible and produced on an industrial scale.…”