A Review on Lactoferrin and Central Nervous System Diseases

• Published in: Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 10; no. 7; p. 1810
• Main Authors: Li, Yu-Qi, Guo, Chuang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 17.07.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Apoptosis; Autophagy; Brain; Brain tumors; Cell growth; Central nervous system; Central nervous system diseases; Cerebrovascular diseases; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cytokines; Dementia; Fatty acids; Glycoproteins; Hypoxia; Immune system; Inflammation; Iron; iron homeostasis; Kinases; Lactoferrin; Lipids; Metabolism; Nervous system; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurodevelopment; Neurogenesis; Neurological diseases; Neuroprotection; Neurotoxicity; Oxidative stress; Parkinson's disease; Pathogenesis; Proteins; Reactive oxygen species; Review; Roles; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Vascular diseases
• ISSN: 2073-4409; 2073-4409
• DOI: 10.3390/cells10071810

Central nervous system (CNS) diseases are currently one of the major health issues around the world. Most CNS disorders are characterized by high oxidative stress levels and intense inflammatory responses in affected tissues. Lactoferrin (Lf), a multifunctional iron-binding glycoprotein, plays a significant role in anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulator, antitumor immunity, and anti-apoptotic processes. Previous studies have shown that Lf is abnormally expressed in a variety of neurological diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, the promotion of neurodevelopment and neuroprotection by Lf has attracted widespread attention, and Lf could be exploited both as an active therapeutic agent and drug nanocarrier. However, our understanding of the roles of Lf proteins in the initiation or progression of CNS diseases is limited, especially the roles of Lf in regulating neurogenesis. This review highlights recent advances in the understanding of the major pharmacological effects of Lf in CNS diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, cerebrovascular disease, developmental delays in children, and brain tumors.