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- Title
Lactoferrin's Anti-Cancer Properties: Safety, Selectivity, and Wide Range of Action.
- Authors
Cutone, Antimo; Rosa, Luigi; Ianiro, Giusi; Lepanto, Maria Stefania; Bonaccorsi di Patti, Maria Carmela; Valenti, Piera; Musci, Giovanni
- Abstract
Despite recent advances in cancer therapy, current treatments, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, although beneficial, present attendant side effects and long-term sequelae, usually more or less affecting quality of life of the patients. Indeed, except for most of the immunotherapeutic agents, the complete lack of selectivity between normal and cancer cells for radio- and chemotherapy can make them potential antagonists of the host anti-cancer self-defense over time. Recently, the use of nutraceuticals as natural compounds corroborating anti-cancer standard therapy is emerging as a promising tool for their relative abundance, bioavailability, safety, low-cost effectiveness, and immuno-compatibility with the host. In this review, we outlined the anti-cancer properties of Lactoferrin (Lf), an iron-binding glycoprotein of the innate immune defense. Lf shows high bioavailability after oral administration, high selectivity toward cancer cells, and a wide range of molecular targets controlling tumor proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and metastasization. Of note, Lf is able to promote or inhibit cell proliferation and migration depending on whether it acts upon normal or cancerous cells, respectively. Importantly, Lf administration is highly tolerated and does not present significant adverse effects. Moreover, Lf can prevent development or inhibit cancer growth by boosting adaptive immune response. Finally, Lf was recently found to be an ideal carrier for chemotherapeutics, even for the treatment of brain tumors due to its ability to cross the blood–brain barrier, thus globally appearing as a promising tool for cancer prevention and treatment, especially in combination therapies.
- Subjects
LACTOFERRIN; CELL migration; TUMOR growth; BLOOD-brain barrier; BRAIN tumors; CANCER treatment
- Publication
Biomolecules (2218-273X), 2020, Vol 10, Issue 3, p456
- ISSN
2218-273X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/biom10030456