Lactoferrin prevents invasion and inflammatory response following E. coli strain LF82 infection in experimental model of Crohn's disease

[kiny]

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1590865814002229?via=ihub

March 2014

Lactoferrin prevents invasion and inflammatory response following E. coli strain LF82 infection in experimental model of Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND:

Crohn's disease is a multifactorial disease in which an aberrant immune response to commensal intestinal microbiota leads to chronic inflammation. The small intestine of patients with Crohn's disease is colonized by a group of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli strongly able to adhere and invade intestinal epithelial cells lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein known to have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities.

AIMS:

We explore the ability of bovine lactoferrin to modulate the interactions between the adherent-invasive E. coli strain LF82 and intestinal epithelial cells as well as the inflammatory response.

METHODS:

Bacterial adhesion and invasion assays were used to assess the antimicrobial activity of lactoferrin. Electron microscopy was used to characterize bacteria-cell interactions. The mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was measured both in cultured cells and in biopsies taken from intestine of patients affected by Crohn's disease.

RESULTS:

Lactoferrin inhibited bacterial invasion through minimally affecting adhesion. This divergence was due to a mannose-dependent lactoferrin binding to the bacterial type 1 pili and consequent bacterial aggregation on the intestinal epithelial cell surface. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, IL-8, and IL-6, was markedly inhibited by lactoferrin both in cultured and Crohn-derived intestinal cells.

CONCLUSIONS:

Bovine lactoferrin might function via an antibacterial and/or anti-inflammatory mechanism in the treatment of Crohn's disease.

 

[copeland]

I don't entirely understand. Isn't Lactoferrin elevated in people with IBD?

So if there are any beneficial anti-inflammatory mechanism, shouldn't we already be benefiting from it?

Or are they saying that bovine lactoferrin acts in a different way that may be theraputic?

Either way, this is interesting. I like it when researchers focus on one specific hypothesis and actually find something out (like in this case they didn't overreach and limited the research to one specific strain of e. coli).

 

[kiny]

Yes I agree, lactoferrin is elevated, but it has an anti-microbial function in the body. Just because it's a marker for crohn's disease never meant for me that the high lactoferrin was abnormal, it is only now that we start to understand it is not acting against self-antigen, our immune systems seems to have innate immunodeficiencies and issues clearing pathogens, but within those limits, it is working as it should. It will try to compensate those innate immunodeficiencies with a chronic adaptive and hormonal response. Lactoferrin being elevated is completely normal during an infection. Lactoferrin is not only researched for CD, it has been looked at for other immunodeficiency diseases like HIV.

LF82 is the reference strain for AIEC.

 

[copeland]

Thanks kiny, that makes sense to me now.

 

[wild_one353]

lactoferrin is in bovine colostrum, a common nutritional supplement which is easily purchased, not sure if it would help crohn's, but colostrum also contains high amounts of tgf beta, which is also high in whey protein and is believed to be one reason why modulen can induce a remission in those on enteral nutrition. Tgf beta is a highly antiinflammatory molecule. this treatment is typically reserved for young children with IBD.

colostrum has been used as a medicine for thousands of years in various societies around the world in human history, its definitly not a new idea that's for sure.

increasing the bodys defenses even more so may only benfit crohns, as its true we already produce lactoferrin and its high in crohns at times i believe ive read. same goes for melatonin levels, people with higher melatonin have less severe crohn's symptoms.