Preparation and In Vitro Characteristics of Lactoferrin-loaded Chitosan Microparticles

Effects of free and nano encapsulated bovine lactoferrin on the viability and acid production by Streptococcus mutans biofilms

Tooth decay is one of the most common diseases that humans face during their lifetime. Streptococcus mutans is one of the most critical factors of early tooth decay. These bacteria may produce biofilms in the mouth, which are more resistant to antimicrobial agents. S. mutans may also demineralize tooth enamel by producing lactic acid. In this study, the effect of nanoliposomes containing lactoferrin at three different concentrations (1.5, 3, and 6 mg ml^-1 l) on the biofilm formed by S. mutans was investigated. Nanoliposomes were prepared using the thin-layer hydration method. An active attachment model (AAA) was used to evaluate biofilm and lactic acid production. The results showed that nano encapsulated lactoferrin could reduce CFU of biofilm more effectively than free lactoferrin. Lactoferrin-containing nanoliposomes also significantly reduced lactic acid production by S. mutans. Therefore, nano encapsulated lactoferrin may be used along with other dental caries control methods to increase anti caries efficacy.

Kidney protective potential of lactoferrin: pharmacological insights and therapeutic advances

Kidney disease is becoming a global public health issue. Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have serious adverse health outcomes. However, there is no effective therapy to treat these diseases. Lactoferrin (LF), a multi-functional glycoprotein, is protective against various pathophysiological conditions in various disease models. LF shows protective effects against AKI and CKD. LF reduces markers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and kidney fibrosis, and induces autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis in the kidney. Although there are no clinical trials of LF to treat kidney disease, several clinical trials and studies on LF-based drug development are ongoing. In this review, we discussed the possible kidney protective mechanisms of LF, as well as the pharmacological and therapeutic advances. The evidence suggests that LF may become a potent pharmacological agent to treat kidney diseases.

Enhanced antitumor activity of bovine lactoferrin through immobilization onto functionalized nano graphene oxide: an in vitro/in vivo study

This study aims to improve the anticancer activity of bovine lactoferrin through enhancing its stability by immobilization onto graphene oxide. Bovine lactoferrin was conjugated onto graphene oxide and the conjugation process was confirmed by FT-IR, SDS-PAGE, and UV spectrophotometry. Physical characterization was performed by DLS analysis and atomic force microscopy. The cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of the final construct (CGO-PEG-bLF) was inspected on lung cancer TC-1 cells by MTT assay and flow cytometry/confocal microscopy. The anticancer mechanism of the CGO-PEG-bLF was studied by cell cycle analysis, apoptosis assay, and western blot technique. Finally, the anticancer activity of CGO-PEG-bLF was assessed in an animal model of lung cancer. Size and zeta potential of CGO-PEG-bLF was obtained in the optimum range. Compared with free bLF, more cytotoxic activity, cellular uptake and more survival time was obtained for CGO-PEG-bLF. CGO-PEG-bLF significantly inhibited tumor growth in the animal model. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were more induced by CGO-PEG-bLF. Moreover, exposure to CGO-PEG-bLF decreased the phospho-AKT and pro-Caspase 3 levels and increased the amount of cleaved caspase 3 in the treated cells. This study revealed the potential of CGO-PEG as a promising nanocarrier for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agents.

Lactoferrin, a multi-functional glycoprotein: Active therapeutic, drug nanocarrier & targeting ligand

Recent progress in protein-based nanomedicine, inspired by the success of Abraxane® albumin-paclitaxel nanoparticles, have resulted in novel therapeutics used for treatment of challenging diseases like cancer and viral infections. However, absence of specific drug targeting, poor pharmacokinetics, premature drug release, and off-target toxicity are still formidable challenges in the clinic. Therefore, alternative protein-based nanomedicines were developed to overcome those challenges. In this regard, lactoferrin (Lf), a glycoprotein of transferrin family, offers a promising biodegradable well tolerated material that could be exploited both as an active therapeutic and drug nanocarrier. This review highlights the major pharmacological actions of Lf including anti-cancer, antiviral, and immunomodulatory actions. Delivery technologies of Lf to improve its pries and enhance its efficacy were also reviewed. Moreover, different nano-engineering strategies used for fabrication of drug-loaded Lf nanocarriers were discussed. In addition, the use of Lf for functionalization of drug nanocarriers with emphasis on tumor-targeted drug delivery was illustrated. Besides its wide application in oncology nano-therapeutics, we discussed the recent advances of Lf-based nanocarriers as efficient platforms for delivery of anti-parkinsonian, anti-Alzheimer, anti-viral drugs, immunomodulatory and bone engineering applications.

Lactoferrin Functionalized Biomaterials: Tools for Prevention of Implant-Associated Infections

Tissue engineering is one of the most important biotechnologies in the biomedical field. It requires the application of the principles of scientific engineering in order to design and build natural or synthetic biomaterials feasible for the maintenance of tissues and organs. Depending on the specific applications, the selection of the proper material remains a significant clinical concern. Implant-associated infection is one of the most severe complications in orthopedic implant surgeries. The treatment of these infections is difficult because the surface of the implant serves not only as a substrate for the formation of the biofilm, but also for the selection of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. Therefore, a promising new approach for prevention of implant-related infection involves development of new implantable, non-antibiotic-based biomaterials. This review provides a brief overview of antimicrobial peptide-based biomaterials-especially those coated with lactoferrin.

Strategies for Oral Delivery of Metal-Saturated Lactoferrin

Lactoferrin was isolated and purified for the first time over 50-years ago. Since then, extensive studies on the structure and function of this protein have been performed and the research is still being continued. In this mini-review we focus on presenting recent scientific efforts towards the elucidation of the role and therapeutic potential of lactoferrin saturated with iron(III) or manganese(III) ions. The difference in biological activity of metal-saturated lactoferrin vs. the unmetalated one is emphasized. The strategies for oral delivery of lactoferrin, are also reviewed, with particular attention to the metalated protein.

Formulation for Oral Delivery of Lactoferrin Based on Bovine Serum Albumin and Tannic Acid Multilayer Microcapsules

Lactoferrin (Lf) has considerable potential as a functional ingredient in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. However, the bioavailability of Lf is limited as it is susceptible to digestive enzymes in gastrointestinal tract. The shells comprising alternate layers of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and tannic acid (TA) were tested as Lf encapsulation system for oral administration. Lf absorption by freshly prepared porous 3 μm CaCO₃ particles followed by Layer-by-Layer assembly of the BSA-TA shells and dissolution of the CaCO₃ cores was suggested as the most efficient and harmless Lf loading method. The microcapsules showed high stability in gastric conditions and effectively protected encapsulated proteins from digestion. Protective efficiency was found to be 76 ± 6% and 85 ± 2%, for (BSA-TA)₄ and (BSA-TA)₈ shells, respectively. The transit of Lf along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of mice was followed in vivo and ex vivo using NIR luminescence. We have demonstrated that microcapsules released Lf in small intestine allowing 6.5 times higher concentration than in control group dosed with the same amount of free Lf. Significant amounts of Lf released from microcapsules were then absorbed into bloodstream and accumulated in liver. Suggested encapsulation system has a great potential for functional foods providing lactoferrin.

Characterization of novel lactoferrin loaded capsules prepared with polyelectrolyte complexes

Novel capsules loaded with lactoferrin (LF) were prepared using polyelectrolyte complexes that were formed by water soluble chitosan (WSC), sodium cellulose sulfate (NaCS) and sodium polyphosphate (PPS). Normal chitosan (soluble in acidic conditions) was chosen as a control to prepare similar capsules with NaCS and PPS. (1)H NMR and FTIR spectra analysis showed that WSC was in a form of chitosan hydrochloride which can be directly dissolved and protonated in acid-free water. SEM results showed that the capsules had a typical wall-capsule structure with a regular spherical shape and an average diameter of 1.97 mm. TGA studies revealed that the thermal stability of the capsules were enhanced and the moisture content of the drug-free/loaded capsules were 6.3% and 3.2%. SDS-PAGE results showed that the primary structures of the processed LF in the capsules were unchanged. Drug loading (LE%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) analysis showed that the capsules had a higher LE% (45.6%) and EE% (70.7%) than that of the control. In vitro release studies showed that the capsules had a regular and sustainable release profiles in simulated colonic fluid. All of these results indicated that the capsules prepared could be used as a candidate protein drug carrier for colon.

Lactoferrin delivery systems: approaches for its more effective use

INTRODUCTION

Recently, pharmacotherapy has advanced extensively, but there are still many refractory diseases which cannot be solved fully by existing therapeutic agents. Therefore, alternative medicine and health foods are now attracting much attention, for example, lactoferrin (LF): a multifunctional glycoprotein. As LF is non-toxic and low-cost, its application in healthcare and therapeutics is expected to be widespread.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, LF's general basic features are described. The interaction of LF with its receptors activates the immune system, including cytokine production and balance. In particular, the immune activation of orally administered LF is considered as a new strategy for the treatment of refractory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, virus infection and tumor metastasis. Also mentioned are the problems associated with the use of LF. As LF is degraded rapidly in the body due to enzymatic hydrolysis, high amounts or frequent dosing is required; an appropriate delivery system may improve these problems and increase its efficiency.

EXPERT OPINION

Chemical modifications, such as PEGylation, can enhance the stability of LF in the body, resulting in increased efficacy. Also, liposomes and enteric or microparticulate formulations can promote the function of LF in oral administration due to target site delivery and protection of LF from enzymatic hydrolysis. These delivery systems are expected to improve the utility of LF.

Preparation of chitosan/alginate/calcium complex microparticles loaded with lactoferrin and their efficacy on carrageenan-induced edema in rats

BACKGROUND

Although lactoferrin (LF) possesses useful functions such as antitumor, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory acitivities, it is subject to gastric digestion, resulting in the reduction of efficacy. Therefore, it is important to develop a system delivering LF efficiently to intestinal mucosa or gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

METHOD

Chitosan/alginate/calcium complex microparticles containing LF at a high loading were prepared using alginate, LF, and calcium chloride at the ratio of 6:3:8 (w/w). The release test was performed using Japanese Pharmacopoeia, Fifteenth Edition (JP15) first fluid (pH 1.2) for initial 2 hours, followed by JP15 second fluid (pH 6.8) for another 5 hours. Furthermore, the in vivo efficacy was evaluated from anti-inflammatory effect using rats with carrageenan-induced edema, in which dosing was performed intragastrically at 50 mg LF eq./kg 5, 3, and 1 days before carrageenan injection.

RESULTS

Microparticles have 20-30 % (w/w) LF content and 1-3 mm size. Nearly 60 % of LF was released at pH 1.2 at the first 1 hour, and then slowly released up to 80% at 7 hours. Suppressive effect against the edema was greater in the order of microparticles LF solution control (saline). Initial burst of LF from microparticles was not associated with their promoted efficacy.

CONCLUSION

Chitosan/alginate/calcium complex microparticles are suggested to be useful for promotion of efficacy of LF at oral administration.