Active ingredient

Lactoferrin 100 mg

What’s Lactoferrin ?

• Lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein secreted by mammary gland, thus present in milk and in colostrum, which are a cheap and easy to obtain sources of this protein.

• Lactoferrin is also present in specific granules of neutrophils.

• Lactoferrin identified in 1939 in bovine milk and isolated in 1960 from both human and bovine milk

• Lactoferrin is a multifunctional agent involved, among others in the immune response and in the regulation of bone metabolism.

• Lactoferrin actives of osteoblast proliferation and bone matrix secretion, and inhibits apoptosis of osteoblast and osteoclast genesis.

• Human colostrum shows the highest levels of Lf (~7 g/L) •During infection and/or inflammation processes, the Lactoferrin concentration increases through the recruitment of neutrophils

• Lactoferrin is a protein found naturally in milk from humans and cows.

• Lactoferrin is also found in several other fluids in the body such as saliva, tears, mucus, and bile. Lactoferrin is found in highest amounts in colostrum, the first type of breast milk produced after a baby is born.

• Lactoferrin’s main functions in the body include binding with and transporting iron. It also helps to fight infections. Some people take lactoferrin supplements to gain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Role of Lactoferrin in iron deficiency anemia

• Lactoferrin plays a central role in ferrokinetic: it binds free iron with great affinity.

•I ts role in the host defense mechanisms consists in bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects; moreover it inhibits the proliferation of other microbes such as fungi and viruses.

• Owing to its iron-binding properties, lactoferrin has been proposed to play a role in iron uptake by the intestinal mucosa and to act as a bacteriostatic agent by withholding iron from iron-requiring bacteria

• Lactoferrin 100mg twice Daily alone increases hemoglobin by 1.1mg /month

• Lactoferrin is a protein found naturally in milk from humans and cows.

• It is also found in several other fluids in the body such as saliva, tears, mucus, and bile. Lactoferrin is found in highest amounts in colostrum, the first type of breast milk produced after a baby is born.

• Lactoferrin’s main functions in the body include binding with and transporting iron. It also helps to fight infections. Some people take lactoferrin supplements to gain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Role of Lactoferrin in Osteoporosis

• lactoferrin may have a physiological role in bone growth and healing, and a potential therapeutic role as an anabolic factor in osteoporosis.

• lactoferrin can promote bone growth.

• lactoferrin potently stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of primary osteoblasts

• Lactoferrin also affects osteoclast formation and potently inhibits osteoclastogenesis

Errira as Immunity Enhancer

 • Lactoferrin is considered a first-line defense protein involved in protection against microbial infections and prevention of systemic inflammation through bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect

• The early postnatal period is a critical time for immune development. Neonates fed mother’s milk have more rapid immune development than fed-formula infants

• Lactoferrin is thought to be the most polyvalent protein present in host defense against tissue injuries and infections in vertebrates. Owing to the propensity of its basic N-terminal domain to interact with various microbial and host targets

• Recent studies indicate that lactoferrin directly modulates both production and function of neutrophils and monocytes

• The biological activities of Lf include anti-infective, anti-oxidant and immune-modulatory actions. Lf is directly effective against several bacteria, virus, fungi and protozoa species  but could also have the indirect effect of modulating intestinal microbiota .

• Lf influences the immune functions such as cytokine production, cytotoxicity, proliferation, maturation, migration and activation of macrophages, granulocytes, natural killer and T and B cells by binding its specific receptor

• LF damages the external membrane of Gram -ve bacteria

through interaction with lipopolysaccharide (LPS):-

– the interaction between LPS and the bacterial cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) inhibited by +ve charged LF, causing a release of LPS from the cell wall and increase the membrane permeability.

– The interaction of LF and LPS also potentiates the action of natural anti bacterial such as lysozyme , which is secreted from the mucosa at elevated concentrations along with LF.

LF’s mechanism of action against Gram +ve bacteria is

based on binding:-

• due to its net +ve charge to anionic molecules on the

bacterial surface, resulting in a reduction of -ve charge on the cell wall and thus favoring contact between lysozyme and the cell membrane

Anti viral activity of Errira

• Besides a broad antimicrobial spectrum against bacteria and fungi, LF is capable of inhibiting replication of a wide range of viruses.

• Lactoferrin displays antiviral activity against both DNA- and RNA-viruses, including rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, herpes viruses and HIV. The antiviral effect of LF lies in the early phase of infection.

 • Lactoferrin prevents entry of virus in the host cell, either by blocking cellular receptors( heparin sulphate glycosaminoglycan receptor), or by direct binding to the virus particles or both .

• Lactoferrin exerts its antiviral activity not only in the early phase of surface interaction virus cell but also intracellularly.