The 15th International Lactoferrin Conference was held in Beijing, China, from December 6 to 10. The conference was hosted by PhD Jianhua Wang, Professor at the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, whose research interests include the bioactivity of lactoferrin.
During the biennial conference, scientists from all over the world addressed the most important topics related to the protein lactoferrin, including its biochemical properties, biological functions, technological standards and clinical applications, in a virtual setting.
Lactoferrin, also known as pink protein due to its color in its pure form, is a natural, iron-binding glycoprotein found in cow's milk and human milk, among others. Following the discovery of the protein in 1939 by Sorensen and Sorensen and its first isolation by Groves and others in the 1960s, research into lactoferrin became increasingly intensive [1]. The promising study results regarding the health-promoting effects of lactoferrin led to it being increasingly used as an ingredient or additive, for example in infant nutrition products, dietary supplements and body care and cosmetic products [2].
Around 200 participants from 28 countries took part in the virtual conference, which consisted of 76 oral presentations with a total duration of around 33 hours and 12 poster presentations. Basic and clinical research work by internationally renowned scientists was presented, with the latest results, potential applications and perspectives being presented and discussed.Due to the pandemic, which has now been ongoing for more than two years, the thematic focus was on the effect of lactoferrin on Covid-19. In addition to cell culture studies, the first exciting and promising results from clinical studies were presented, which show that lactoferrin can alleviate the clinical symptoms of a Covid-19 infection and shorten the healing time. In addition, the underlying antiviral mechanism has been elucidated, meaning that lactoferrin is well on the way to becoming an effective drug candidate against the coronavirus [3-7].
The standardization of lactoferrin products has been extensively addressed in terms of quality, biological activity and technological innovation. It was again confirmed that purity plays a key role in the application.
Other exciting points on the program were the many positive immunomodulatory effects, the bioavailability of lactoferrin when taken orally and the protective effect on the development of neonatal health.
Sources
1. Ahmed, K. A. et al. Lactoferrin: Potential functions, pharmacological insights, and therapeutic promises. Journal of Advanced Biotechnology and Experimental Therapeutics vol. 4 223–237 (2021).
.2. lactoferrin Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/lactoferrin-market.
.3. Ali, A. S., Hasan, S. S., Kow, C. S. & Merchant, H. A. Lactoferrin reduces the risk of respiratory tract infections: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN45, 26–32 (2021).
4. Hu, Y., Meng, X., Zhang, F., Xiang, Y. & Wang, J. The in vitro antiviral activity of lactoferrin against common human coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 is mediated by targeting the heparan sulfate co-receptor. Emerging Microbes and Infections10, 317–330 (2021).
5. Campione, E. et al. Lactoferrin as antiviral treatment in COVID-19 management: Preliminary evidence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health18, (2021).
6. Campione, E. et al. Lactoferrin Against SARS-CoV-2: In Vitro and In Silico Evidences. Frontiers in Pharmacology12, (2021).
7. Mirabelli, C. et al. Morphological cell profiling of SARS-CoV-2 infection identifies drug repurposing candidates for COVID-19. doi:10.1073/pnas.2105815118/-/DCSupplemental.
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