Effects of oral bovine lactoferrin on a mouse model of inflammation associated colon cancer

Patients with ulcerative colitis or colonic Crohn's disease have a significantly increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) reportedly inhibited the development of colon cancer in rats and mice, and in a placebo controlled trial, ingestion of bLF inhibited the growth of intestinal polyps. In addition, in a case study, a patient with Crohn's disease was reported to have remained in remission for over 7 years while ingesting 1 g of bLF daily. Thus, bLF has an inhibitory effect on colon carcinogenesis, and it may also promote remission of Crohn's disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of bLF in a mouse model of colorectal cancer related to irritable bowel disease (IBD). The mice were divided into 4 groups: (i) no treatment; (ii) treated with bLF only; (iii) treated with azoxymethane plus dextran sulfate sodium (AOM + DSS); and (iv) treated with AOM + DSS + bLF. AOM was used to initiate intestinal cancer, and DSS was used to induce IBD-like inflammation in the intestine of the C57BL/6 mice. At the end of the study, the mice treated with AOM + DSS + bLF had a better fecal score, fewer lesions in the colon, and less weight loss than the mice treated with AOM + DSS without bLF. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to tumor burden.