New Properties of a Well-Known Antioxidant: Pleiotropic Effects of Human Lactoferrin in Mice Exposed to Gamma Irradiation in a Sublethal Dose

Abstract

We studied the effects of human lactoferrin (hLf), a multifunctional protein from the transferrin family, on integral (survival, lifespan during the experiment, body weight, behavior, subfractional compositions of blood serum) and systemic (hemoglobin level, leukocyte number, differential leukocyte count, histological structure of the liver and spleen) parameters of the body in mice after acute gamma irradiation in a sublethal dose. The experiments were performed on male C57BL/6 mice. The mice in the experimental groups were exposed to whole-body gamma radiation in a dose of 7.5 Gy from a 60Co source. Immediately after irradiation and 24 h after it, some animals received an intraperitoneal injection of hLf (4 mg/mouse). Single or repeated administration of hLf had a positive pleiotropic effect on irradiated animals: animal survival increased from 28% to 78%, and the mean life expectancy during the experiment (30 days) increased from 16 to 26 days. A compensatory effect of hLf on radiation-induced body weight loss, changes in homeostasis parameters, and a protective effect on the structural organization of the spleen were demonstrated. These data indicate that Lf has potential as a means of early therapy after radiation exposure.

Neurotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles and Non-Linear Development of Adaptive Homeostasis with Age

“…After conducting a battery of behavioral tests, the animals (n = 6–8 in each subgroup) were anesthetized with isoflurane (Baxter, Aibonito, Puerto Rico, USA) and decapitated; the organs (liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, brain, heart, testes) and their blood were collected. This protocol was based on the widely used procedures [ 32 , 33 ]. Tissue samples were dried in a RedLine RF 53 drying chamber (Binder GmbH, Tuttlingen, Germany) for 72 h at 75 °C for further irradiation in the channel of a nuclear reactor.…”

Liposomal Lactoferrin Exerts Antiviral Activity against HCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2 Pseudoviruses In Vitro

“…To overcome the need to develop treatments in a very short time, an interesting approach is the reuse of already approved drugs. Based on this approach, we herein present a new format of lactoferrin (Lf), an iron-binding protein found in many mucosal secretions and in neutrophil granules that exhibits multifunctional activities; it is antiinflammatory [5], anti-oxidative [6], immunomodulatory [7], and presents broad-spectrum antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity [8][9][10]. Regarding antiviral activity, viruses such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human hepatitis C virus (HCV), human papilloma virus (HPV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Sindbis virus, and Semliki Forest virus, among others, have also been proven to be highly sensitive to human and/or bovine Lf in vitro [8,9,11,12]-.…”

Lactoferrin Modulates Induction of Transcription Factor c-Fos in Neuronal Cultures

“…This globular glycoprotein is present in various mammalian secretory fluids, as well as in neutrophil granules [1,2]. Lf is actively studied in experimental models of human diseases as an antiallergic, immunomodulatory, and radioprotective agent [3][4][5], as well as a protein capable of attenuating the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and stimulating neuroregeneration [6][7][8][9].…”