Current Trends in Lactoferrin Research and Development

락토페린의 최근 연구 개발 동향

Lactoferrin was first identified 60 years ago as a "red protein" in bovine milk. Lactoferrin, one of the transferrin family proteins, is an iron-binding glycoprotein found in milk and various mucosal secretions; it is also released from activated neutrophils. Human lactoferrin has a molecular weight of 82.4 kDa and is composed of 702 or 692 amino acid residues. Bovine lactoferrin has a molecular weight of 83.1 kDa and is composed of 689 amino acid residues. Both lactoferrin and transferrin have the ability to bind two $Fe^{3+}$ ions, together with two ${CO_3}^{2-}$ ions with extremely high affinity; these proteins also have the ability to release this iron at low pH levels. The polypeptide chain in lactoferrin is folded into two globular lobes, representing the N-terminal and C-terminal halves. Both lobes have similar folding and 40% sequence identity. This protein is capable of multiple functions as described in various review papers, including antimicrobial, antiviral, antiinflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and cell growth-promoting activities. Lactoferrin also exhibits immunomodulating effects and plays an active role in the regulation of myelopoiesis and the inhibition of bacterial translocation.