Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein found in human and bovine milk that has powerful immune boosting effects. Its multifunctional role also encompasses antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities. Neonatal units successfully use lactoferrin to help reduce infection in hospitals, and baby formulas manufactured in China are now being supplemented with lactoferrin. Being an immunomodulator, lactoferrin helps manage the inflammatory response, making it beneficial for such conditions as high cholesterol, gastrointestinal inflammation, respiratory tract inflammation and acne. Lactoferrin may also stimulate the cells responsible for bone growth.

Animal studies confirm that the combination of lactoferrin and chemotherapy is more effective than either treatment alone. Lactoferrin can therefore be used to increase the effectiveness of conventional treatments and also to prevent secondary infections. This is a significant advantage because infections secondary to immune dysfunction are a leading cause of mortality in cancer patients receiving radiation or chemotherapy treatments. Lactoferrin-ULTRA contains 89% protein by weight, a factor which makes it very beneficial for cancer patients, for whom the ability to maintain adequate nutrition is essential for a favorable prognosis. Proteins are particularly important to prevent the development of cancer cachexia, a condition characterized by weight loss, muscular atrophy, weakness, and anorexia.

AOR Advantage

Those requiring powerful immune system support and supplementary protein during weakened conditions and illness will greatly benefit from adding AOR’s Lactoferrin-ULTRA to their diet.

Since glutathione levels are high in cancer cells, high glutathione is thought to contribute to cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy. A small study in 1995 administered 30g of whey protein concentrate over six months to patients with metastatic cancer. Of the small sample of seven patients, two showed reduced glutathione and tumour regression, while two others showed tumour stabilization.

Initial experimental animal studies showed that bovine lactoferrin significantly inhibits colon, esophagus, lung and bladder carcinogenesis. These encouraging results led researchers to test the efficacy of recombinant human (rh) lactoferrin in cancer patients and found that rh-lactoferrin reduced their rates of tumour growth. In a preliminary trial, it was found that oral lactoferrin had an immunostimulating action at the level of the gut, inducing a systemic anti-cancer effect. Supplementation resulted in a decrease in the rate of tumor growth in six out of seven patients. Tumor growth was reduced from 33.3% before treatment to 9.9% after treatment with lactoferrin for a period of two months.

In 2006, a study on 10 advanced tumour patients for whom chemotherapy had not succeeded were given up to 9 grams of lactoferrin in two week intervals. Talactoferrin was well tolerated with no toxicity. IL-8 activity was increased, disease stability increased and almost all patients had reduced tumour growth rates.

After the results obtained with rh-lactoferrin in this phase I clinical trial, the US Food and Drug Administration granted Fast Track designation to the clinical development of lactoferrin. The Fast Track designation is intended for the combination of a product and a claim that address an unmet medical need.

In 2008, a phase II clinical trial evaluated talactoferrin in 44 advanced progressive or metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients for whom conventional therapy had not worked. Patients received 1.5g talactoferrin twice daily for 12 weeks on, 2 weeks off.  After 14 weeks, the progression-free survival rate was 59% with a median progression-free survival of 6.4 months and a response rate of 4.5%.

In 2010, half of a group of 36 patients with metastatic cancer given talactoferrin gained disease stability, especially those with renal cell carcinoma or non-small cell lung cancer.

Finally, two phase II double-blind placebo controlled randomized trials were published in 2011. Both studies were carried out in stage three non-small-cell lung cancer patients, one combined with chemotherapy and one post-chemotherapy failure. Both showed improvements in response rates, duration of response, progression-free survival rates and overall survival rates.

Bovine lactoferrin given orally at 3 g per day for a year was found to reduce the growth rates of polyp in the colon in patients 63-70 years of age. This study suggested that oral bovine lactoferrin is an excellent adjunct to scheduled surgical polyp removal in older patients.

The effects of HAMLET (human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumour cells) on human cancer patients was published for the first time in 2011. Filling the bladder with a solution containing HAMLET caused the shedding of many cancer cells that had undergone death by apoptosis while regular alpha-lactalbumin did not have this effect. Surgery of tumour removal showed either reduction in tumour size or positive changes in tumour characteristics at surgery with no harmful effects to the surrounding non-cancerous tissue of the bladder. These results do not confirm the results of an in-vitro study showing that HAMLET and oleic acid on its harm some healthy primary cells in addition to tumour cells.