LACTOFERRIN

A well balanced iron metabolism is crucial to results from modern targeted treatments. Good hemoglobin is an independent marker of successful outcomes in immunotherapy There is growing evidence in chemotherapy too, which strongly depresses hemoglobin levels. Evidence in lung cancer reports over 2X better response even at the already low cut off of 110g/dL level (see References). As a side note the reported risk reductions are about a half for those with combination therapy of immunotherapy plus chemotherapy. So the group with combination therapy and good hemoglobin saw radically improved results. Similarly in breast cancer studies show more than 2X benefit to good hemogloblin.

Time after time, studies confirm that inflammatory like iron states or “iron overload” are common during cancer and strongly linked to progression. But iron deficiency is equally damaging, and is present in up to half of patients at diagnosis and the vast majority once oncology treatments start. Lactoferrin is a milk protein compound similar to bovine colostrum, but without unnecessary growth factors and hormones. Through its supportive effects on microbiome, it is classed as a prebiotic and shows protective effects on immune system health in colorectal cancer during oncology. Its biological impacts include helping to connect innate and adaptive immune response. And at least one trial with advanced stage lung cancers reported tendency to lowered progression rates. A few cases are reported in pilot studies with lactoferrin in metastatic kidney cancer with greatly extended disease free periods for about a quarter of patients (see Examples).

Many cancers upregulate availability of iron for their growth and spread, storing it locally for use as enzyme like proteins called ferritin which can be seen in circulation. At the same time, this can contribute to iron deficiency or even anemia, with is commonly reported at diagnosis and may increase during treatment. Low iron a well known factor in metastatic spread of cancer, and a risk factor for both progression and and side effects. Lactoferrin strongly binds iron in the gut, and regulates its absorption. This can re-balance iron, help fight cancers iron related activity including reducing inflammation and stabilzing ferritin levels. This process is helped immensely by a diverse and healthy microbiome.

Actions on the microbiome also help correct the metabolism of cysteine and methionine. These amino acids play significant roles in several aggressive cancer types, including TNBC, myeloma, melanoma, ovarian and liver cancer, lactoferrin at moderate levels may partly support targeted dietary regimes to reduce these amino acids. (see also Soy in the Foods Library)

Immune system activation from lactoferrin restrains the growth of colon polyps reducing risks they will become pre-cancerous (see References). In terms of boosting innate immunity and reducing inflammation, a number of studies, not all, show both anti-inflammatory and immune regulating effects. For instance in reducing levels of IL-6, and in some studies c-reactive proteins. And in other research lactoferrin has shown effects associated with boosting of natural immune activity through T-cell activation (see Highlights). A study in colorectal cancer patients showed strong reductions in key biomarkers of disease activity and progression, including Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)

There is compelling pre-clinical evidence that the presence of lactoferrin reduces key steps in cancer metastasis, but this requires some additional evidence in relation to patient trials. A lysosomal formulation is an option to increase bioavailability. Start lactoferrin before oncology treatments if possible, to help balance iron levels and reduce tumor access to its preferred ferritin form.

ANTI-METASTATIC ACTIONS

TYPICAL ABSORPTION LEVELS

20-60%

EXAMPLES OF IMPROVED OUTCOMES

YES
ANALYSIS

PRE-DIAGNOSIS OR PREVENTION

YES
ANALYSIS

Highlighted Studies

In the evaluable [lung cancer] population, the median PFS in the placebo and TLF [lactoferrin] arms was 4.2 and 7 months, respectively (HR = 0.78) [hazard ratio]. There was an improvement in the PFS rate at 18 weeks (end of treatment period), with an increase from 40% in the placebo to 53% in the TLF arm (p = 0.13) for the ITT population and from 43% in the placebo arm to 59% in the TLF arm (p = 0.08) for the evaluable population.
…median Overall Survival increased from 8.5 months...

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We have enrolled 27 patients to date–9 with NSCLC, 4 each with renal and colon cancer, and 3 or fewer with seven other tumor types. RhLF was safe and well tolerated… We observed one (5%) partial response and 12 (55%) stable disease. In NSCLC patients, the largest group, 5 patients (53%) had stable disease. In patients with renal cancer, we had one (25%) partial response and 3 (75%) stable disease. Colon cancer patients had 50% stable disease. We also observed a substantial decrease in...

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The results showed that the drug was well tolerated, with no occurrence of talactoferrin-related grade 3 or 4 adverse events or laboratory anomalies by NCI-CTEP criteria. The four patients described in the case series demonstrated very encouraging progression-free survivals, all exceeding 30 months. We conclude that decreased tumor growth rate may correlate with increased progression-free survival. Talactoferrin is a promising, well-tolerated agent whose clinical benefits should be evaluated ...

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Clinical parameters follow-up results indicate that oral bLF improved most of these parameters which indicates that patients’ disease states became stable without any recurrence of colorectal tumor masses or appearance of any new changes which may be due to several physiological roles of LF: regulation of iron homeostasis, modulation host defense against infection and inflammation, regulation of cellular growth, differentiation, protection against cancer development, and metastasis ..These ...

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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17588359209700495Our study demonstrated that pretreatment Hb levels served as a favorable prognostic factor for ICI treatment in advanced NSCLC patients, which represents an economical biomarker with relatively easier measuring performance compared with other available biomarkers, including TMB and PD-L1 expression. Given the limitations of the study, future investigations are needed to validate the prognostic value of baseline Hb levels in larger multi-center cohorts.Patients who had normal pretreatment Hb levels demonstrated significantly longer PFS than those with decreased Hb levels [median: 10.0 versus 4.0 months, HR 0.63]...univariate analysis revealed that treatment type, prior lines of therapy, brain metastasis, and baseline Hb levels were all associated with PFS, and multivariate analysis further demonstrated that ICI combination therapy and normal baseline Hb levels were independent favorable prognostic predictors for PFS
https://www.oncotarget.com/article/13679/text/5The current study revealed there are 5 unique trajectories of Hb levels during the first year after treatment. The persisted anemia group (initial Hb level of approximately 10 g/dL) were significantly associated with worst 10-year survival compared with the normal Hb trajectory groups (Hb threshold of approximately 12-14 g/dL) in breast cancer patients. It is notable that most Hb levels declined in the first 6 months after treatment initiation, but the Hb level continued to increase after treatment in the improved anemia trajectory. Despite slightly lower initial Hb levels in the improved anemia group than in the persistent anemia group, the improved anemia group had better long-term survival, with improved survival after 3 years; meanwhile, the mild anemia, low normal Hb, and normal Hb groups had significantly improved survival after 2 years.The primary endpoint was 10-year cancer-related death. We identified 5 distinct Hb trajectories: persistent anemia (5.6 %; n = 109), improved anemia (4.8 %, n = 93), mild anemia (21.0%; n = 406), low normal Hb (46.6 %; n = 899), and normal Hb (21.9%; n = 424). Compared with the normal-Hb group, trajectories with low Hb levels had worst 10-year survival. The adjusted hazard ratios were 1.79(95% CI, 0.91-3.53) for the improved anemia group, 1.09(95% CI, 0.68-1.74) for the mild anemia group, 1.06 (95% CI, 0.71-1.60) for the low normal Hb group, and 2.19(95% CI 1.28-3.75) for the persistent anemia group. Our findings show there are five Hb level trajectories during breast cancer treatment. The anemia Hb level trajectory during the first 12 months after treatment reflect the worst cancer-related 10-year survival in breast cancer patients.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.00513794.5When patients were stratified based on their serum ferritin and CRP levels, patients with elevation in both inflammatory biomarkers had a markedly poorer response to trastuzumab-containing therapy. Therefore, the elevation in inflammatory serum biomarkers may reflect a pathological state that decreases the clinical efficacy of this therapy. Anti-inflammatory drugs and life-style changes to decrease inflammation in cancer patients should be explored as possible strategies to sensitize patients to anti-cancer therapeutics.Patients with low serum ferritin or low CRP had a median survival approximately six times longer than patients with high serum ferritin or CRP (Fig. 2 A&C). More importantly, patients with high levels of serum ferritin or CRP had a shorter progression-free survival indicating that that trastuzumab-containing therapy was not effective (Fig. 2 B&D). Therefore, our data suggests that cancer-associated inflammation, as assessed by serum ferritin and CRP, is either 1) inducing resistance to cancer therapies (trastuzumab alone, chemotherapy alone, or the combination of both) either directly through activation of molecular pathways or indirectly through affecting the structure and density of tumor vasculatur
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15384047.2023.22853674.5Based on the above scientific evidence, we demonstrated for the very first time that basal serum ferritin levels before immunotherapy and corresponding changes during immunotherapy are both strong independent prognostic factors for patients with lung cancer and can be used to predict immunotherapy response. Patients with lower basal serum ferritin levels before immunotherapy and those with downregulated serum ferritin during immunotherapy had a longer PFS and a higher DCR. We also demonstrated that considering these two prognostic factors together may be useful to estimate disease survival or recurrenceHowever, the “integrated factor”, which was calculated as the combination of lower basal serum ferritin levels before immunotherapy and downregulated serum ferritin levels during immunotherapy, correlated with prolonged PFS (P < .001). Multivariate analyses revealed that the basal serum ferritin levels before immunotherapy and the corresponding changes during immunotherapy were both strong independent prognostic factors (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.60, P = .041; HR = 2.65, P = .001). These findings suggest that serum ferritin levels can be used as a prognostic biomarker for lung cancer in predicting immunotherapy efficacy.
https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-023-11620-94.5To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the association of serum iron level with the outcome of Gastric Cancer patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors. LSI was found to be associated with a significantly lower OS, PFS, and DCR in Gastric cancer patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapy. Patients with LSI had 5.8% and 24.6% increases in the risk of treatment failure or death, respectively. In addition, the 31.8% reduction in the odds of disease control suggested that tumors with baseline LSI were more likely to be more aggressive or have a worse treatment response to anti-PD-1 therapy. Iron is critical in maintaining the immune system by regulating the growth and differentiation of immune cellsMultivariate analysis showed that (ECOG PS), histological subtype, and baseline serum iron levels were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), while ECOG PS, multiple metastatic sites, and baseline serum iron levels were independent prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS). Patients with baseline low serum iron levels (LSI) had a significantly shorter median OS and PFS compared to patients with normal serum iron levels (NSI) (Median OS: 7 vs. 14 months ; median PFS: 3 vs. 5 months). Patients with baseline LSI had a disease control rate (DCR) of 58.3% at 2 months after PD-1 inhibitor initiation, compared to 81.1% in patients with NSI
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8239234/4.5Our analysis indicated that normal pre-treatment Hb level was a significant predictor when associated with higher PFS and OS in patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapy, as compared with decreased Hb level. This result suggest that patients with AGC and MGC suffering anemia might need more consideration of immunotherapy. Patients with normal Hb level receiving PD-1 inhibitor were shown to have prolonged long term benefit of 14.4months and progression time of 7.8m (p<0.05). This was in line with previous studies of NSCLC treated with ICIUnivariate analysis and multivariate analysis showed that Hb level was only independent predictor for PFS and baseline Hb level was significant prognostic factor influencing the OS. Only when patients had normal Hb level, anti-pd-1 monotherapy or combined with chemotherapy was superior to anti-pd-1 plus anti-angiogenic therapy with respect to PFS (10.3 m vs 2.8 m) and OS(15 m vs 5.7 m.
https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2407-13-3404n summary, our findings suggested that post-diagnosis Hb changes, regardless of the baseline Hb levels and the direction of changes, associate with the overall survival of the patients of various cancers and should be taken into consideration in the tailored correction of anemia treatment. Since cancer- or treatment-related anemia is present in up to 90% of patients, our finding has considerable significance at the population level. Kaplan Meier analysis demonstrated a significantly different overall survival time between patients with higher- and lower-than-median |∆Hb| in all cancer patients as well as in patients with individual cancers (data not shown). We then conducted internal validation using bootstrap resampling and demonstrated that the significant association between |∆Hb| and patient survival was validated 100% of times in all cancer patients combined, as well as in patients with individual cancer types
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1487477/full4The relationship between ferritin and Hb at postoperative 1 year are significant prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. In particular, the presence of ACD can be a more specific predictor of gastric cancer. Therefore, clinicians should pay attention to and correct ACD in outpatient clinics during postoperative follow-up....In our study, at postoperative 1 year, 30.5% of stage I patients experienced anemia, showing similar results upon detailed analysis (data not-shown). In a study conducted in 2016, the occurrence of anemia was reported from 1 to 5 years post-gastrectomy, distinguishing only between IDA and vitamin B12 deficient anemia.The overall incidence of anemia was 36.5% (n=1,086). The prevalence of IDA and ACD was 12.7% (n=377) and 23.8 (n=709), respectively, at postoperative 1 year. Patients with ACD were significantly older, had higher ECOG, increased early complications, and were at a more advanced stage than the other groups. The overall survival (OS) of ACD was significantly lower than that of the other groups (p < 0.001), especially for stages I and III. The presence of ACD was a significant risk factor for overall (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.8), disease-free (HR= 1.7), and cancer-specific (HR= 1.6) survival.
https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/jco.2004.22.90140.31403.5We have enrolled 27 patients to date–9 with NSCLC, 4 each with renal and colon cancer, and 3 or fewer with seven other tumor types. RhLF was safe and well tolerated... We observed one (5%) partial response and 12 (55%) stable disease. In NSCLC patients, the largest group, 5 patients (53%) had stable disease. In patients with renal cancer, we had one (25%) partial response and 3 (75%) stable disease. Colon cancer patients had 50% stable disease. We also observed a substantial decrease in the growth rate of target lesions before and after start of rhLF. The average tumor growth rate dropped by 68% from 5.2% to 1.7% per week. The NSCLC patients (88% tumor rate reduction; p<0.05) already appear to demonstrate a survival benefit. The median survival to date among the 9 NSCLC patients is 8 months (with only one death), which compares favorably to the 4.6 months expected median for pretreated patients with metastatic lung cancer. Updated survival and response data will be presented. Conclusions: RhLF is safe and well tolerated, shows promise in salvage therapy of NSCLC and renal cancer, and should be evaluated in larger Phase II trials.
https://www.jto.org/article/S1556-0864(15)32046-3/fulltext3.5There was an improvement in the PFS rate at 18 weeks (end of treatment period), with an increase from 40% in the placebo to 53% in the TLF arm (p = 0.13) for the ITT population and from 43% in the placebo arm to 59% in the TLF arm. Overall Survival In the ITT population, median OS increased from 8.5 months in the placebo arm to 10.4 months in the TLF arm (HR = 0.87). The median OS in the evaluable patients increased from 8.5 months in the placebo arm to 11.3 months in the TLF arm (HR = 0.75)The trial met the primary end point of improvement in confirmed RR [response rate] in the prospectively defined evaluable population. Compared with the C/P/P group, RR increased in the C/P/T group by 18% and 15% in the evaluable and intent-to-treat populations, respectively. Compared with the C/P/P group, the C/P/T group had a longer median PFS (4.2 versus 7.0 months), OS (8.5 versus 10.4 months), and duration of response (5.5 versus 7.6 months), although the differences were not statistically significant. Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with C/P therapy. There were fewer total [adverse events from treatment] AEs (472 versus 569) and grade 3/4 AEs (78 versus 105) Screenshot from 2024-11-30 15-54-03
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3194025/3.5 We report a case series of 4 patients treated at our institution with very encouraging progression-free survivals, all exceeding 30 months, in order to suggest that this agent merits further study. These four patients with radiographically progressive metastatic RCC received single-agent oral talactoferrin in daily doses of 9 grams, given in cycles of 2 weeks on/2 weeks off Third, arrested tumor growth can occur as a part of the natural history of metastatic RCC. Under Gompertzian models, such time-dependent slowing occurs as the tumor growth curve reaches its plateau. As such, renal cell carcinomas under surveillance but not treatment can demonstrate a rate of volumetric expansion that diminishes with increasing size [18]. Nonetheless, in the three-pronged attack on renal cell carcinoma from the avenues of cell biology, angiogenesis, and immunology, well-tolerated immunomodulatory agents have been elusive. We suggest that the progression-free survivals of these patients merit further evaluation of oral talactoferrin to determine its true anti-neoplastic efficacy.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4897438/3.5Oral bLF gave promising results in this clinical trial; it has the ability to improve symptoms of cancer in metastatic colorectal cancer patients, such as anemia, as it increased both RBCs count and Hb concentration. Also, LF decreased chemotherapy related side effects by protecting liver and kidney from toxicity and improving their function test values. Another very important chemotherapy related side effect is mucositis which improved by oral bLF ingestion and gave the chance to patients to swallow better with less pain and suffering. We can say that oral bLF has significant therapeutic effect on colorectal cancer patients after using for a long period of time. These may need a long term study.Although, there was a significant effect of oral bLF (250 mg/day) that indicated a significant improvement in mean percent of change of all parameters 3 months after treatment, there was no significant difference between results of patients in the test group and patients in the control group after treatment. This result suggests that oral bLF has significant therapeutic effect on colorectal cancer patients. Our study suggests that daily administration of bLF showed a clinically beneficial effect to colorectal cancer patients with better disease prognosis but that needs further looking into.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/117822342513170703.5Elevated transferrin saturation and serum iron at early breast cancer diagnosis are associated with increased risk for metastatic disease but not with location of metastases or breast cancer subtype. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and to explore the potential of iron-targeted therapies.In total, 1113 patients were included, 10% of them developed distant metastasis over a median follow-up period of 7 years. In multivariable analysis adjusting for age, stage, and subtype, transferrin saturation and serum iron were significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer metastasis. For each 10% increment of transferrin saturation at baseline, there was a 19% increase in metastatic risk
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9526865/3Clinical studies on Lf supplementation are limited; however, the available evidence indicates that a daily dose of 200 mg Lf may reduce IL-6 concentrations in some subject populations. Furthermore, consumption of formulas containing 35–833 mg Lf/d may reduce the incidence of RTIs in infants and children, suggesting improved immune function. Due to the small number of trials and heterogeneous study designs, future research is required to determine effects on immune function, optimal supplementation strategies, and identify subject populations most likely to benefit from Lf supplementation...articles that examined the effect of Lf supplementation in human subjects of all ages, on either inflammation, immune cell populations or activity, or the incidence, duration, or severity of respiratory illness or RTIs. Twenty-five studies (n = 20 studies in adults) were included, of which 8 of 13 studies (61%) in adults reported a decrease in at least 1 systemic inflammatory biomarker. Immune function improved in 6 of 8 studies (75%) in adults, with changes in immune cell populations in 2 of 6 studies (33%), and changes in immune cell activity in 2 of 5 studies (40%)
https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.235193Responses were noted in 2 patients, but the response rate endpoint was not met. Nevertheless, the observed response rate was consistent with talactoferrin's cytostatic mechanism of action and also was consistent with the response rate observed with other cytostatic agents such as sorafenib and bevacizumab. The results on secondary efficacy endpoints including median PFS (6.4 months) and median OS (21.1 months) compare favorably with those reported in the literature in patients with previously treated RCC.3, 20 Patient selection could explain these results, although analysis of the patient characteristics does not reveal these patients to be significantly different from those in other phase 2 trials.TLF was well tolerated. No significant hematologic, hepatic, or renal toxicities were reported. The study met its predefined target with a 14-week progression-free survival rate of 59%. The response rate was 4.5%. The mMedian progression-free survival was 6.4 months and the median overall survival was 21.1 months. CONCLUSIONS. TLF is a well-tolerated new agent that has demonstrated preliminary signs of clinical activity. Given the lack of toxicity, the lack of rapid disease progression in this cohort, and the preclinical data on immune activation, a randomized study assessing its effects on disease progression in patients with metastatic RCC is rational
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02715317080012552.5 Statistically significant increases were found between presupplementation levels and levels after 200 mg of supplementation in total T-cell activation (as measure by CD3+) (P < .001), helper T-cell activation (as measure by CD4+) (P < .001), cytotoxic T-cell activation (as measured by CD8+) (P < .001), and hydrophilic antioxidant capacity (P < .05). No significant changes were seen in the other parameters measured. These results support the proposal that oral supplements of bovine lactoferrin may be a useful adjunct toward modulation of immune activity, in particular T-cell activation and antioxidant status.In this study, a bovine lactoferrin supplement given for 2 weeks to healthy males modulated immune function and antioxidant status of these participants. This change was reflected through a significant increase in total (CD3+) T-cell activation (P < .001), helper (CD4+) T-cell activation (P < .001), and cytotoxic (CD8+) T-cell activation (P < .001) that occurred between days 0 and 16, days 0 and 21, days 7 and 16, and days 7 and 21.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0958694615000424?via%3Dihub2.5Significant differences in peripheral blood lymphocyte subset counts (CD16+, CD56+, and CD86+), neutrophil phagocytic function, and NK cell cytotoxicity were found between the LF and placebo groups. The increased proportions of CD16+, CD56+, and CD86+ cells demonstrated that LF treatment increased the populations of NK cells and antigen presenting cells (dendritic cells and macrophages). Our results show that in elderly people, supplementation with enteric-coated LF may enhance certain aspectsThis study shows that over a 3-month period certain aspects of immune function in a group of healthy, elderly individuals (aged 66–87) were enhanced by the administration of enteric-coated LF supplements. Significant differences between the LF and placebo group were found for neutrophil phagocytic capacity, NK cell cytotoxicity, and some peripheral blood lymphocyte subset ratios (CD16+, CD56+, and CD86+). However, there was no significant inter-group difference in blood cell count
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10534-014-9747-22.5The data presented in this report show a good correlation between increased levels of NK cell activity in the blood, increased levels of serum hLF, which reflects systemic neutrophil responsiveness, and regression of colorectal polyps. These data are consistent with a correlation between higher immune system activity and suppression of colorectal polyps. Our data also show a good correlation between the presence of CD4+ cells in colorectal polyps and regressing polyps. This finding is consistent with the key role CD4+ cells have in immune system function and is also consistent with a correlation between higher immune system activity and suppression of colorectal polyps. In addition, our data support the proposal that lower inflammatory potential in the colon mucosaImportantly, the overall number of neutrophils in the serum was not increased in patients with regressing polyps (data not shown). Therefore, since serum hLF is derived primarily from neutrophils (Ambruso et al. 1984; Gessler et al. 2004; Lash et al. 1983; van der Strate et al. 1999; Brown et al. 1986, 1983), the increase in serum hLF levels suggest that in patients with regressing polyps, serum neutrophils were more active than serum neutrophils in participants with growing polys. Taken together, these data suggest that, on average, trial participants with regressing polyps had higher levels of immune system activity, as manifested by higher levels of systemic NK cell and neutrophil activity, than participants with growing polyps.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/14/31842.5Following 12 weeks of intervention, participants in the intervention group had lower expression levels in pro-inflammatory mediators (CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α), with significant (p < 0.05) interaction effects of the group and time observed. However, no significant interaction effect was observed in the vitamin D, telomerase, 8-OHdG, MDA, and SOD activities. UPLC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed that 22 metabolites were upregulated and 11 were downregulated in the intervention group compared to the placebo group. Glycerophospholipid metabolism, along with cysteine and methionine metabolism were identified as the potential metabolic pathways that are associated with bovine colostrum milk consumption. In conclusion, consuming bovine colostrum milk may induce metabolic changes and reduce the expression of various pro-inflammatory mediators, thus improving the immune function in older adultsIn conclusion, consuming IgCo bovine colostrum-enriched skim milk may help reduce the expression levels of various pro-inflammatory mediators, such as the CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α. Findings from the untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed that consuming bovine colostrum may induce alterations in the glycerophospholipid metabolism and cysteine and methionine metabolism pathways, thus improving the immune function in older adults. Our current findings suggest that bovine colostrum milk has the potential to be used as one of the nutraceutical foods in promoting healthy and successful aging.
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/bcb-2024-00612(hyperferritinemia...genetic disorder] participants received treatment with 200 mg of bovine lactoferrin (bLf) once (n = 14) or twice (n = 3) a day before meals. The patients, treated with 200 mg/day of bLf, exhibited a significant increase in red blood cells (+10%), hemoglobin (+4%), and hematocrit (+15%), accompanied by a significant reduction in serum Ftn levels (−52%), C-reactive protein (CRP) (−85.0%)Among the three patients treated with 400 mg/day of bLf, two had effects similar to those of patients bLf-treated with 200 mg/day and one experienced a strong reduction of Ftn, CRP, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (from −97% to −75%). The decrease in serum Ftn levels due to bLf treatment was largely independent of gender (p = 0.78), age (p = 0.66), baseline symptoms (p = 0.20), and concomitant acute (p = 0.34) and chronic (p = 0.53) infections
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10825996/2This systematic review and meta-analysis provides representative data on the effectiveness of oral LF at doses of 100–250 mg/day, compared to conventional iron preparations in patients with low hemoglobin levels. The evidence suggests that bLF is an effective intervention for patients with low Hb concentration profiles, particularly in patients with inflammatory conditions. As a safer option and with high compliance evidence, lactoferrin can serve as an iron replacement treatment for patients who may be experiencing adverse side effects due to iron intake. Lactoferrin's ability to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines seems crucial in regulating and restoring Hb levels. Reducing inflammation could potentially serve as the the first step toward normalizing Hb concentration levels in patients with low hemoglobin and inflammation-related conditions.The trend of the results appears to favor bLF treatment. In all 19 randomized trials included in this study, bLF has been suggested as an effective and safe alternative to iron supplementation by the authors. Our meta-analysis demonstrated a statistically significant increase in Hb concentration favoring the oral bLF group over the ferrous sulfate group, with an overall pooled SMD of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.42, 1.21, p < 0.0001, I2 = 95.8%, P heterogeneity < 0.001). While several studies conducted, mainly on pregnant women [19, 22, 25, 26, 33, 35] and children [24, 27, 32, 36, 37], support this result, stating that LF showed a statistically significant increase in Hb concentration levels, compared to those in the iron group
https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/10/3/456N/A Lf shows high bioavailability after oral administration, high selectivity toward cancer cells, no significant side effect and a wide range of molecular targets controlling tumor proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and metastasization. Of note, Lf, according to the system it acts upon, is able to trigger differential outcomes. Indeed, Lf exerts positive or negative effects on cell cycle progression and cell migration towards normal and cancer cells, respectively. Moreover, Lf can prevent development or inhibit cancer growth by boosting adaptive immune response. The ability of Lf to cross the blood–brain barrier makes it a powerful tool to treat brain tumors. Lastly, Lf was recently found to be an ideal carrier for chemotherapeutics, thus globally appearing as a promising tool for cancer prevention and treatment, especially in combination therapies.In our study, native and holo-bLf were able to partially or completely hinder cell migration in a human glioblastoma cell line, the GL-15. In particular, depending on its iron saturation rate, bLf was efficient in down-regulating both vimentin and Snail expression, while inducing a notable increase in total cadherins’ level. Moreover, IL-6/STAT3 axis, another pivotal pathway associated to glioblastoma cell migration ability, was found to be strongly inhibited upon bLf treatment, with the holo-form more efficient than the native counterpart. Interestingly, the differential efficiency was associated to higher accumulation rates of holo-bLf in both cell cytoplasm and nucleus with respect to the native form
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3233/CBM-1706014.5Chemotherapy-associated hemoglobin 90 g/L has a significant prognostic value in CRC receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, which is a significant biomarker in the individualized management and may suggest the simple indication for the treatment of anemia in adjuvant chemotherapy in CRC.Cox model showed no association of chemotherapy-associated hemoglobin change 30 g/L and DFS (HR, 2), OS (HR, 1.386). Moreover, cox regression model showed no association of baseline hemoglobin (pre-chemotherapy hemoglobin levels) and DFS (HR, 1.004), OS (HR, 1.006). However, cox regression model showed chem- otherapy-associated hemoglobin 90 g/L remained the independent prognostic factor for DFS (HR, 2.221), OS (HR, 2.058)Hb and CRC OS
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/028418606008331605Median overall survival in patients with initial Hb ≥12 g/dl was 66 months compared to 22 months in those with lower baseline Hb levels (p = 0.0001). This difference was mainly due to increased risk of distant spread in anemic patients (40% compared to 25% in subjects with pretreatment Hb ≥12 g/dl; p = 0.001). Baseline Hb ≥12 g/dl was also associated with longer disease-free survival and improved local control. Declining Hb level during radiotherapy predicted for impaired 5-year disease-free survival and local control probability. In multivariate analysis, low pretreatment Hb level remained associated with worse overall and disease-free survival, whereas adverse impact of declining Hb level on outcome was not observed.In this series 33% of patients presented with anemia (<12 g/dl), and in 66% Hb level declined during RT. Overall, anemia persisted throughout therapy in 48% of cases. Disease-related anemia is a common hematological abnormality accompanying cervical carcinoma Citation[1], Citation[3], Citation[10]. Decreased Hb level both prior to and during treatment was reported to be associated with other tumor-related poor prognostic factors, such as advancing tumor stage and “bulky” disease Citation[3], Citation[10]. In this study of cervical cancer patients applied definitive RT pretreatment Hb level below 12 g/dl was associated with remarkably shorter OS compared with non-anemic patients.Hb level in cervical cancer

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