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Disposition kinetics of lactoferrin in milk after intramammary administration
T Kutila1, S Pyörälä, L Kaartinen
1Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, PO Box 57, FIN-00014 Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland. taina.kutila@helsinki.fi
Insights
Intramammary administration of lactoferrin (Lf) in cows increased milk Lf levels for hours, with a half-life of 2.2 hours. Some local udder irritation occurred, but cows showed no systemic signs.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Animal Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Lactoferrin (Lf) is a key whey protein with antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties.
- Understanding Lf disposition is crucial for its therapeutic applications in bovine mastitis.
- Intramammary administration is a common route for treating udder infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the disposition kinetics of lactoferrin after intramammary administration in dairy cows.
- To assess the local and systemic effects of intramammary lactoferrin infusion.
Main Methods:
- Purification of lactoferrin from cheese whey.
- Intramammary administration of 1g lactoferrin into one udder quarter of Finnish Ayrshire cows.
- Monitoring of lactoferrin concentrations in milk over 48 hours post-administration.
- Assessment of local udder tissue irritation and general systemic signs (fever, anorexia, somatic cell count).
Main Results:
- Intramammary lactoferrin increased milk Lf concentration for several hours, reaching a mean maximum of 6.3 g/L between 1-4 hours.
- The mean elimination half-life of Lf was 2.2 hours.
- Mild local udder irritation was observed, varying between cows and differing between primiparous and multiparous animals. No systemic signs were noted, and somatic cell counts returned to baseline within 4 days.
Conclusions:
- Intramammary administration of lactoferrin leads to a rapid increase in milk Lf concentrations with a relatively short elimination half-life.
- Local udder irritation is a potential side effect, but it appears manageable and transient.
- Lactoferrin shows potential as a therapeutic agent for intramammary use in dairy cows, warranting further investigation.
Abstract:
Disposition kinetics of lactoferrin (Lf) purified from cheese whey was studied in the milk of Finnish Ayrshire cows after intramammary administration of 1 g of Lf into one udder quarter. Intramammary administration of 1 g of Lf increased Lf concentration in milk for several hours. Mean elimination half-life of Lf was 2.2 h and a mean maximum concentration of 6.3 g/L was reached between 1 and 4 h. After 8 h of administration, Lf concentrations in milk decreased to almost the same level as before the infusion. Forty-eight hours postinfusion, the mean Lf concentration was again higher than in the milk samples taken before the infusion of Lf, being on average 1.5 g/L. Lactoferrin caused some local tissue irritation in the udder quarter. Severity of the irritation reactions varied between cows. The udder quarters of primiparous cows reacted faster than those of multiparous cows, but irritation reactions decreased more rapidly in the older cows than in primiparous cows. The cows had no general signs such as fever or anorexia. The somatic cell count returned to baseline level 4 days after the administration.