Ameliorating adverse perinatal outcomes with Lactoferrin: An intriguing chemotherapeutic intervention

Adverse pregnancy outcomes affect 54 million people globally per year, with at least 50% of these attributed to infection during gestation. These include inflammation of the membranes surrounding the growing fetus (chorioamnionitis), preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM), preterm birth (PTB), early-onset disease (EOD) and late-onset disease (LOD), neonatal and maternal sepsis, and maternal or fetal demise. Although universal screening and implementation of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) has improved EOD outcomes, these interventions have not reduced the incidences of LOD or complications occurring early on during pregnancy such as PPROM and PTB. Thus, novel therapies are needed to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes and to ameliorate disease risk in vulnerable populations. Lactoferrin has recently been explored as a potential therapeutic as it demonstrates strong antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity. Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein capable of iron chelation found in a variety of human tissues and is produced in high concentrations in human breast milk. In recent studies, lactoferrin has shown promise inhibiting growth and biofilm formation of streptococcal species, including Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a prominent perinatal pathogen. Understanding the interactions between lactoferrin and GBS could elucidate a novel treatment strategy for adverse pregnancy outcomes caused by GBS infection.