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.