Bovine lactoferrin and Lactoferricin inhibit tumor metastasis in mice

The effect of a bovine milk protein, lactoferrin (bLf), and a pepsin-generated peptide of bLf, lactoferricin (Lfcin-B), on inhibition of tumor metastasis produced by highly metastatic murine tumor cells, B16-BL6 melanoma and L5178Y-ML25 lymphoma cells, was examined in experimental and spontaneous metastasis models using syngeneic mice. The subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of bovine apo-lactoferrin (apo-bLf) and Lfcin-B 1 day after tumor inoculation significantly inhibited liver and spleen metastasis of L5178Y-ML25 cells and lung metastasis of B16-BL6 cells, whereas human apo-lactoferrin (apo-hLf) and bovine holo-lactoferrin (holo-Lf) at the dose of 1 mg/mouse did not. Furthermore, both apo-bLf and Lfcin-B, but not apo-hLf and holo-bLf, inhibited the number of tumor-induced blood vessels and suppressed tumor growth on day 8 after tumor inoculations in an in vivo model. However, in a long-term analysis of tumor growth for up to 21 days after tumor inoculation, single administration of apo-bLf significantly suppressed the growth of B16-BL6 cells throughout the examination period, but Lfcin-B showed inhibitory activity only during the early period (8 days). In spontaneous metastasis model, multiple administration of both apo-bLf and Lfcin-B significantly inhibited lung metastasis of B16-BL6 cells, however it was only apo-bLf that exhibited the inhibitory effect of tumor growth at the time of primary tumor amputation (on day 21) after tumor inoculation. The results suggest that apo-bLf and Lfcin-B inhibit tumor metastasis through different mechanisms, and that the inhibitory activity of bLf on tumor metastasis may be related to the property of iron (Fe3+)-saturation.