Oral Administration of Lactoferrin Attenuates Intestinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats

Abstract

Background: Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) is a common and serious clinical condition. Lactoferrin (Lf) has displayed antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities in protecting the intestinal mucosa. The objective of this study was to investigate whether oral administration of Lf could attenuate I/R-induced intestinal injury. Methods: The experimental design consisted of three groups of Wistar rats (24 per group): sham operation, control (I/R, saline), Lf (I/R, Lf). Intestinal I/R was produced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery for 45 min. Eight rats from each group were randomly sacrificed 3, 12 or 36 h after reperfusion, and blood and intestinal samples were collected. Results: Intestinal I/R resulted in gut damage evidenced by morphological alteration, reduction of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GGT) activity and increased cell apoptosis. Daily administration of Lf (200 mg/kg) for 14 days before surgery significantly attenuated gut damage by reducing the histologic score and apoptosis index, and restoring intestinal γ-GGT activity. Lf reduced intestinal malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase, restored glutathione and decreased serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 compared with saline control in I/R rats. In addition, oral administration of Lf did not produce any significant effects in healthy rats; Lf at doses of 50 or 100 mg/kg also attenuated I/R-induced gut damage, but administration of Lf for 7 days did not exert a significant protective effect against I/R-induced gut damage. Conclusions: These results indicate that Lf may serve as a potent supplement in protecting the gut from intestinal I/R-induced injury by its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic activities.

Quantitative Proteomics Analysis of Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury-Modulated Proteins in Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells and the Protective Role of Tongxinluo

“…LTF is an iron-binding glycoprotein and involved in several biological functions, including iron absorption, antioxidative activities, and regulating the systemic immune response [24]. The present study showed that LTF is significantly down-regulated in CMECs during I/R, similar to a previous study [25]. According to the classical research of Ambrosio [26], the no-reflow area has a large number of neutrophils and substantial platelet aggregation, which may be the main cause of capillary vessel embolism.…”

Bovine Milk–derived Lactoferrin Exerts Proangiogenic Effects in an Src-Akt-eNOS–dependent Manner in Response to Ischemia

“…Additionally, oral LF administration reduces intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury through antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic actions in rats. 28 Thus, LF has the potential to promote angiogenesis and is effective for revascularization in response to ischemia.…”

Cystine and Theanine Improve Survival after Gut Ischemia-Reperfusion

“…However, when the degree and duration of gut hypoperfusion are severe, gut reperfusion may instead worsen remote organ injury by excessively activating polymorphonuclear neutrophils, oxidative stress, and proinflammatory mediators [1][2][3][4][5]. Various therapies have been proposed for reducing gut ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury [6][7][8][9]. glycine) synthesized from glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine, is a major systemic antioxidant.…”