Lactoferrin Powder

Lactoferrin powder is an 80 kDa iron binding glycoprotein, it belongs to transferrin family. Lactoferrin is not only involved in iron transport, but also has a broad spectrum of antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-cancer, immune system regulation and other powerful biological functions, which is considered as a new antibacterial, anti-cancer drugs and food and feed additives with great development potential.

What is lactoferrin used for?

Lactoferrin helps regulate how well iron is absorbed into the body from the intestine. It also seems to protect against infections from bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Lactoferrin seems to slow down the growth of bacteria by starving them of nutrients. It also destroys the walls around the bacteria.

●Biological Function:

Lactoferrin is thought to be a key component of the innate defense system in response to a variety of physiological and environmental changes.  Lactoferrin exhibits strong antibacterial activity against a variety of bacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses and parasites.  It also has anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities and has a variety of enzyme functions.  Lactoferrin plays a key role in maintaining iron levels in cells of the body.  

●Antimicrobial activity:

The first biological function of lactoferrin powder to be discovered and studied extensively is its bacteriostatic ability. Lactoferrin has a broad spectrum of anti-gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria and it can effectively inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, streptococcus, Legionella pneumophila, staphylococcus aureus. Oral treatment with lactoferrin reduced gastrointestinal bacterial infection, but do not affect the growth of Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria.

●Antiviral activity:

Lactoferrin helps protect the body against many viruses. 

Intestinal infections caused by rotaviruses, enteroviruses, and adenoviruses can all be treated with lactoferrin, which inhibits adenovirus replication in the early stages of infection, preventing the virus from attaching to target cells and thus preventing infection.  

●Antifungal activity:

Human lactoferrin and bovine lactoferrin, as well as lactoferrin-derived peptides, have in vitro activities against human pathogenic fungi, especially Candida albicans and several other candida species.  Lactoferrin kills Candida albicans and Clostridium cruz by altering cell surface permeability in the same way against bacteria.

●Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity:

Because lactoferrin is widely distributed in the body's external secretions, it can act as the first natural immune barrier to participate in immune regulation.

Does lactoferrin cause weight gain?

Dietary lactoferrin powder did not alter weight gain or body composition but did reduce fecal fat excretion compared to casein.