Lactoferrin back in the news.
file:///home/chronos/u-3eb91ea958ff0d91e3487b82dff1ebd4db1641a7/MyFiles/Downloads/LactoferrinWOW.pdf
Pleiotropic effect of Lactoferrin in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection: randomized clinical trial, in vitro and in silico preliminary evidences
Abstract:
The current treatments against SARS-CoV-2 have proved so far inadequate. A potent antiviral drug is yet to be discovered. Lactoferrin, a multifunctional glycoprotein, secreted by exocrine glands and neutrophils, possesses an antiviral activity extendable to SARS-Cov-2. We performed a randomized, prospective, interventional study assessing the role of oral and intra-nasal lactoferrin to treat mild-to-moderate and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to prevent disease evolution. Lactoferrin induced an early viral clearance and a fast clinical symptoms recovery in addition to a statistically significant reduction of D-Dimer, Interleukin-6 and ferritin blood levels. The antiviral activity of lactoferrin related to its binding to SARS-CoV-2 and cells and protein-protein docking methods, provided the direct recognition between lactoferrin and spike S, thus hindering the spike S attachment to the human ACE2 receptor and consequently virus entering into the cells. Lactoferrin can be used as a safe and efficacious natural agent to prevent and treat COVID-19 infection.
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Looks like they were using a liposomal formula?
"The scheduled dose treatment of liposomal bLf for oral use was 1gr per day for 30 days (10 capsules per day) in addition to the same formulation intranasally administered 3 times daily".
Haven't heard of this.
Interesting iron chelation/sequestration appears to dominate the therapeutic effect? Quercetin & Curcumin our other natural chelators.
The pleiotropic activity of Lf is mainly based on its four different functions: to chelate two ferric iron per molecule, interact with anionic molecules, enter inside the nucleus and modulate iron homeostasis. The ability to chelate two ferric ions per molecule is associated to the inhibition of reactive oxygen species formation and the sequestration of iron, which is important for bacterial and viral replication and is at the basis of the antibacterial and antiviral activity of Lf. The binding to the anionic surface compounds, thanks to its cationic feature, is associated to the host protection against bacterial and viral adhesion and entry. The entrance inside host cells and the translocation into the nucleus is related to the anti-inflammatory activity of Lf and its ability to modulate iron homeostasis perturbed by viral infection and inflammation. As matter of fact, iron homeostasis involves several iron proteins such as transferrin, ferroportin, hepcidin and ferritin the disorders of which, induced by inflammation, lead to intracellular iron overload and viral replication. Moreover, Lf seems to regulate the activation of plasminogen and control coagulation cascade with a remarkable antithrombotic activity, a very frequent complication of SARS-CoV2. In addition to all these abilities, Lf, as above reported, inhibits the early phase of SARS-CoV12 and post-infection phase of SARS-CoV-2 probably through the binding to HSPGs or to viral particles.
Edited by Dorian Grey, 30 October 2020 - 09:53 PM.