Antimicrobial properties of lactoferrin

Milk is a vital nutritional source for the offspring of all mammals, including humans. In addition to its nutritional value, it is a rich source of proteins including lactoferrin. Lactoferrin is a truly multifunctional protein that has been studied extensively over the past decades. It is best known for its ability to bind iron, which eventually led to the discovery of its antibacterial activity. In addition, lactoferrin has demonstrated potent antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic activity, towards a broad spectrum of species. It is also considered to be an important host defense molecule during infant development. In this review, we focus on the antimicrobial activities of lactoferrin with particular emphasis on antibacterial and antiviral activities, although its antifungal and -parasitic activity are also discussed.     

Human lactoferrin receptor activity in non-encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae

Since the ability of bacteria to compete with lactoferrin for iron contributes to the pathogenesis of mucosal infections, the presence of lactoferrin receptor activity in non-encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae was investigated. The growth of 18 H. influenzae isolates from the sputum samples of chronic bronchitis patients and of six of seven H. influenzae throat isolates from healthy adults was stimulated by iron saturated human lactoferrin. Apo-lactoferrin did not stimulate the growth of H. influenzae. Human lactoferrin binding to iron limited bacteria was detected for 16 H. influenzae strains from chronic bronchitis patients and for five of seven isolates from healthy adults. We conclude that the majority of H. influenzae isolates tested bind human lactoferrin and that the iron from lactoferrin is used for growth.     

Bacteriostatic activity of human lactoferrin against Staphylococcus aureus is a function of its iron-binding properties and is not influenced by antibiotic resistance

The in vitro antistaphylococcal activity of lactoferrin and the antibiotic resistance of clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from three different sites of infection were examined. Antibiotic, but not lactoferrin resistance correlated with selective antibiotic pressure, and nosocomial and most community isolates were antibiotic resistant, whereas only a third of each group was resistant to lactoferrin. The antimicrobial activity of lactoferrin, both in defined medium and in normal human plasma serum, was dependent upon its ferrochelating properties. Therapeutic approaches based on the use of ferrochelating agents such as lactoferrin combined with antimicrobial drugs may help to counteract the reduced efficacy of current antibiotics.     

Bovine lactoferrin and lactoferricin interfere with intracellular trafficking of Herpes simplex virus-1

Although both lactoferrin (Lf), a component of the innate immune system of living organisms, and its N-terminal pepsin cleavage product lactoferricin (Lfcin) have anti-herpes activity, the precise mechanisms by which Lf and Lfcin bring about inhibition of herpes infections are not fully understood. In the present study, experiments were carried out to characterize the activity of bovine Lf and Lfcin (BLf and BLfcin) against the Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1). HSV-1 cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking were studied by immunofluorescence microscopy. In comparison to the untreated infected control cells, both the BLf- and BLfcin-treated cells showed a significant reduction in HSV-1 cellular uptake. The few virus particles that were internalized appeared to have a delayed intracellular trafficking. Thus, in addition to their interference with the uptake of the virus into host cells, Lf and Lfcin also exert their antiviral effect intracellularly.     

A mastoparan-derived peptide has broad-spectrum antiviral activity against enveloped viruses

Broad-spectrum antiviral drugs are urgently needed to treat individuals infected with new and re-emerging viruses, or with viruses that have developed resistance to antiviral therapies. Mammalian natural host defense peptides (mNHP) are short, usually cationic, peptides that have direct antimicrobial activity, and which in some instances activate cell-mediated antiviral immune responses. Although mNHP have potent activity in vitro, efficacy trials in vivo of exogenously provided mNHP have been largely disappointing, and no mNHP are currently licensed for human use. Mastoparan is an invertebrate host defense peptide that penetrates lipid bilayers, and we reasoned that a mastoparan analog might interact with the lipid component of virus membranes and thereby reduce infectivity of enveloped viruses. Our objective was to determine whether mastoparan-derived peptide MP7-NH₂ could inactivate viruses of multiple types, and whether it could stimulate cell-mediated antiviral activity. We found that MP7-NH₂ potently inactivated a range of enveloped viruses. Consistent with our proposed mechanism of action, MP7-NH₂ was not efficacious against a non-enveloped virus. Pre-treatment of cells with MP7-NH₂ did not reduce the amount of virus recovered after infection, which suggested that the primary mechanism of action in vitro was direct inactivation of virus by MP7-NH₂. These results demonstrate for the first time that a mastoparan derivative has broad-spectrum antiviral activity in vitro and suggest that further investigation of the antiviral properties of mastoparan peptides in vivo is warranted.     

Fungicidal effect of human lactoferrin against Candida albicans

Human lactoferrin (LF) in its iron-free state (apo LF), killed Candida albicans in a time- and dose-dependent way. The lethal effect was stronger at pH 7.0 than at pH 5.5 and maximum inhibition at neutral pH was achieved in 25 min when the fungal cells were exposed to LF in 0.05 mM KCl at 37 degrees C. Fe(3+)-saturated LF had no fungicidal activity. Apo LF-mediated killing was also temperature-dependent with enhanced inhibition at higher temperatures (37 degrees, 42 degrees C). The presence of 1 mM D-glucose did not affect the candidacidal activity of apo LF but both phosphate and bicarbonate ions at physiological salivary concentrations completely blocked the anti-fungal effect. Therefore it seems unlikely that LF belongs to the major host defence factors against oral candidosis.     

Bactericidal effect of lactoferrin and lactoferrin chimera against halophilic Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Infections caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, an halophilic member of the genus Vibrio, have increased globally in the last 5 years. Diarrhea caused by V. parahaemolyticus results from eating raw or undercooked seafood. The aim of this work was to investigate whether lactoferrin and some lactoferrin-peptides have bactericidal activity against Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802, the pandemic strain O3:K6, and the multidrug resistant isolate 727, as well as against Vibrio cholerae strains O1 and non-O1. Whereas both peptides lactoferricin (17-30) and lactoferrampin (265-284) did not have bactericidal activity, 40 microM of lactoferrin chimera (a fusion of the two peptides) inhibited the growth of all Vibrio tested to the same extent as the antibiotic gentamicin. The cidal effect of LFchimera showed a clear concentration response in contrast to bovine lactoferrin which showed higher inhibition at 10 microM than at 40 microM. FITC-labeled LFchimera bound to the bacterial membranes. Moreover LFchimera permeabilized bacterial cells and membranes were seriously damaged. Finally, in experiments with the multidrug resistant isolate 727, sub-lethal doses of LFchimera strongly reduced the concentrations of ampicillin, gentamicin or kanamicin needed to reach more than 95% growth inhibition, suggesting synergistic effects. These data indicate that LFchimera is a potential candidate to combat the multidrug resistant pathogenic Vibrio species.     

Effects of human lactoferrin on the cytoplasmic membrane of Candida albicans cells related with its candidacidal activity

Human lactoferrin is an innate host defence protein with antimicrobial activity that exerts a candidacidal effect in a cation concentration-dependent manner. We investigated the ability of this cationic protein (with an isoelectric point of 8.7) to permeabilize the cytoplasmic membrane of Candida albicans cells. Despite minor K(+)-release in lactoferrin-treated C. albicans cells, the killing effect was not related to an extensive membrane permeabilization, as indicated by: (a) the non-release of macromolecular cytosolic constituents; (b) the non-permeabilization for extracellular propidium iodide nor for intracellular accumulated calcein; and (c) the inability to disrupt the phospholipid bilayer of 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6, trisulfonic acid/p-xylene-bis-pyridiniumbromide-loaded liposomes. These results suggest that lactoferrin exerts its candidacidal effect through a mechanism different from membrane permeabilization described for other cationic peptides.     

Aronia melanocarpa and its components demonstrate antiviral activity against influenza viruses

The influenza virus is highly contagious in human populations around the world and results in approximately 250,000–500,000 deaths annually. Vaccines and antiviral drugs are commonly used to protect susceptible individuals. However, the antigenic mismatch of vaccines and the emergence of resistant strains against the currently available antiviral drugs have generated an urgent necessity to develop a novel broad-spectrum anti-influenza agent. Here we report that Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry, Aronia), the fruit of a perennial shrub species that contains several polyphenolic constituents, possesses in vitro and in vivo efficacy against different subtypes of influenza viruses including an oseltamivir-resistant strain. These anti-influenza properties of Aronia were attributed to two constituents, ellagic acid and myricetin. In an in vivo therapeutic mouse model, Aronia, ellagic acid, and myricetin protected mice against lethal challenge. Based on these results, we suggest that Aronia is a valuable source for antiviral agents and that ellagic acid and myricetin have potential as influenza therapeutics.     

Synthesis and antiviral activity of coumarin derivatives against infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a highly contagious disease of juvenile salmonid species. However, robust anti-IHNV drugs currently are extremely scarce. For the purpose of seeking out anti-IHNV drugs, here a total of 24 coumarin derivatives are designed, synthesized and evaluated for their anti-viral activities. By comparing the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of the 12 screened candidate drugs in epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells infected with IHNV, the imidazole coumarin derivative C4 is selected for additional validation studies, with an IC₅₀ of 2.53 μM at 72 h on IHNV glycoprotein. Further experiments revealed that C4 could significantly inhibit apoptosis and cellular morphological damage induced by IHNV. On account of these findings, derivative C4 could be a viable way of controlling IHNV and considered as a promising lead compound for the development of commercial drugs.     

Antiviral activity of lactoferrin towards naked viruses

It is well known that lactoferrin (Lf) is a potent inhibitor towards several enveloped and naked viruses, such as rotavirus, enterovirus and adenovirus. Lf is resistant to tryptic digestion and breast-fed infants excrete high levels of faecal Lf, so that its effect on viruses replicating in the gastrointestinal tract is of great interest. In this report, we analysed the mechanism of the antiviral action of this protein in three viral models which, despite representing different genoma and replication strategies, share the ability to infect the gut. Concerning the mechanism of action against rotavirus, Lf from bovine milk (BLf) possesses a dual role, preventing virus attachment to intestinal cells by binding to viral particles, and inhibiting a post adsorption step. The BLf effect towards poliovirus is due to the interference with an early infection step but, when the BLf molecule is saturated with Zn+2 ions, it is also capable of inhibiting viral replication after the viral adsorption phase. The anti-adenovirus action of BLf takes place on virus attachment to cell membranes through competition for common glycosaminoglycan receptors and a specific interaction with viral structural polypeptides. Taken together, these findings provide further evidence that Lf is an excellent candidate in the search of natural agents against viral enteric diseases, as it mainly acts by hindering adsorption and internalisation into cells through specific binding to cell receptors and/or viral particles.     

Antibacterial activity of different honeys against pathogenic bacteria

To study the antimicrobial activity of honey, 60 samples of various botanical origin were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against 16 clinical pathogens and their respective reference strains. The microbiological quality of honeys and the antibiotic susceptibility of the various isolates were also examined. The bioassay applied for determining the antimicrobial effect employs the well-agar diffusion method and the estimation of minimum active dilution which produces a 1 mm diameter inhibition zone. All honey samples, despite their origin (coniferous, citrus, thyme or polyfloral), showed antibacterial activity against the pathogenic and their respective reference strains at variable levels. Coniferous and thyme honeys showed the highest activity with an average minimum dilution of 17.4 and 19.2% (w/v) followed by citrus and polyfloral honeys with 20.8 and 23.8% respectively. Clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica subsp. Enterica, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis were proven to be up to 60% more resistant than their equal reference strains thus emphasizing the variability in the antibacterial effect of honey and the need for further research.     

Antiviral activity of medicinal plant-derived products against SARS-CoV-2

This review presents information from several studies that have demonstrated the antiviral activity of extracts (Andrographis paniculata, Artemisia annua, Artemisia afra, Cannabis sativa, Curcuma longa, Echinacea purpurea, Olea europaea, Piper nigrum, and Punica granatum) and phytocompounds derived from medicinal plants (artemisinins, glycyrrhizin, and phenolic compounds) against SARS-CoV-2. A brief background of the plant products studied, the methodology used to evaluate the antiviral activity, the main findings from the research, and the possible mechanisms of action are presented. These plant products have been shown to impede the adsorption of SARS-CoV-2 to the host cell, and prevent multiplication of the virus post its entry into the host cell. In addition to antiviral activity, the plant products have also been demonstrated to exert an immunomodulatory effect by controlling the excessive release of cytokines, which is commonly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections.     

A structural framework for understanding the multifunctional character of lactoferrin

Lactoferrin (Lf) is widely distributed, in mammalian milks, other secretory fluids and white blood cells, and its biology is complex. The three-dimensional structure of this important protein was determined in 1987, giving the first atomic view of any member of the transferrin family. This review examines how structural knowledge has contributed to our understanding of Lf function, and what we have yet to understand. The internal structure of Lf is highly conserved, and is dedicated to binding iron, which is sequestered in two almost identical sites, one in each lobe of the molecule. The processes of iron binding and release, and the accompanying conformational changes, are well understood. Some functional properties of Lf derive from this property, both through iron scavenging, and because the structure and dynamics of Lf are altered by its iron status. On the other hand, the external structure (its molecular surface) is much more variable between different Lfs, making it more difficult to identify functionally important sites. One key feature is clear - the cationic N-terminus and associated lactoferricin domain on the N-lobe of Lf. Recent work shows that this region, in addition to its role in antibacterial activity and probable role in DNA binding, is also involved in complex formation with other proteins. Other parts of the surface are more variable and may result in functional differences between the Lfs of different species. Finally, it may be time to re-examine the importance of glycosylation, given the growing evidence that many pathogens depend on binding to glycans for pathogenesis.     

Interaction between lactoferrin and ovotransferrin and Candida cells

Abstract The mechanism of antifungal activity of lactoferrin (Lf) and ovotransferrin (OTR) towards Candida albicans and Candida krusei was studied. In low iron-content medium, in minimal medium supplemented by 2,2'-dipyridyl, and in a medium in which Lf or OTR were separated from the culture by a dialysis membrane, the growth of C. albicans and C. krusei was proportional to the endogenous iron. Differences were observed when Lf or OTR was in contact with the fungal cells: C. albicans was inhibited, whereas C. krusei was not. Direct fluorescence indicated binding of Lf and OTR only on C. albicans surfaces, and suggested that antifungal activity is not simply related to iron deprivation, but involves interaction of the protein with the fungal surface.     

Antibacterial activity of naringin derivatives against pathogenic strains

Aims: To study the antimicrobial activity of naringin (NAR), a flavonoid extracted from citrus industry waste, and NAR derivatives [naringenin (NGE), prunin and alkyl prunin esters] against pathogenic bacteria such as L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus. The relationship between the structure of the chemical compounds and their antagonistic effect was also analysed. Methods and Results: The agar dilution technique and direct contact assaying were applied. NGE, prunin and NAR showed no antimicrobial activity at a concentration of 0·25 mmol l^?1. Similarly, fatty acids with a chain length between C2 and C18 showed no antimicrobial activity at the same concentration. However, prunin‐6″‐O‐acyl esters presented high antibacterial activity, mainly against Gram‐positive strains. This activity increased with increasing chain length (up to 10–12 carbon atoms). Alkyl prunin esters with 10–12 carbon atoms diminished viability of L. monocytogenes by about 3 log orders and S. aureus by 6 log orders after 2 h of contact at 37°C and at a concentration of 0·25 mmol l^?1. The compounds examined were not effective against any of the Gram‐negative strains assayed, even at the highest concentration. Conclusions: Addition of sugars to the aglycone did not enhance its antimicrobial activity. Attachment of a saturated aliphatic chain with 10–12 carbon atoms to the A ring of the flavonoid (or to sugars attached to this ring), seems to be the most promising modification. In conclusion, alkyl prunin esters with a chain length of C10–C12 have promising features as antimicrobial agents because of their high antilisterial and antistaphylococcal activity. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study shows that it is possible to obtain NAR derivatives with important antimicrobial activity, especially against Gram‐positive pathogenic bacteria. It also provides guidelines on the structural modifications in similar molecules to enhance the antimicrobial activity.     

Twenty-five years of research on bovine lactoferrin applications

Lactoferrin (LF) was identified as a milk protein in 1960. Large-scale manufacturing of bovine LF (bLF) was established more than 20 years ago. Using this commercially available material, research for bLF applications has advanced from basic studies to clinical studies, and bLF has been applied to commercial food products for the last 25 years. During this period, it was found that LF is digested by gastric pepsin to generate a multi-potent peptide, lactoferricin. It was also demonstrated that oral administration of bLF augments host protection against infections via antimicrobial action and immunomodulation of the host. In addition, researchers have demonstrated that oral administration of bLF prevents cancer development. In this review, we look back on 25 years of bLF research and development.     

Antifungal activity of alkyl gallates against plant pathogenic fungi

The antifungal activity of alkyl gallates against plant pathogenic fungi was evaluated. All of the fungi tested in this study were susceptible to some alkyl gallates, and the effect of linear alkyl gallates against plant pathogenic fungi was similar to the previously reported effects against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. We found that branched alkyl gallates showed stronger activity than did linear alkyl gallates with similar log P values. In addition, the antifungal activity of alkyl gallates was correlated with gallate-induced inhibition of the activity of mitochondrial complex II. The antifungal activity of alkyl gallates likely originates, at least in part, from their ability to inhibit the membrane respiratory chain.     

Binding of bovine lactoferrin to Streptococcus agalactiae

Bovine lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein present in mammary gland secretions. The exposure of Streptococcus agalactiae to bovine lactoferrin resulted in the binding of this protein to all the 12 strains of bovine origin tested, and also, although to a lesser degree, to the five tested strains of human origin. The interaction of lactoferrin with one high-binding bovine strain (24/60, the prototype NT/X strain) was studied. Binding was time-dependent, dose-dependent, and saturable. The binding of lactoferrin was slightly affected by cultivation conditions, and appeared to be heat-stable. The binding of biotinylated lactoferrin was inhibited by unlabelled lactoferrin but not by bovine serum albumin.