title: Protective effect of lactoferricin against Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice.
abstract: The protective effect of lactoferricin against Toxoplasma gondii infection was examined in experimental murine toxoplasmosis. All mice orally administered 5.0 mg of lactoferricin, and challenged with cysts of T. gondii at a dose of LD90 survived until the end of experiment (35 days post challenge). Intraperitoneal administration of 0.1 mg of lactoferricin also prevented death in 100% of treated mice challenged with T. gondii cysts. In contrast, 80% of untreated mice died of acute toxoplasmosis within 14 days post challenge. In the mice treated perorally with lactoferricin, the number of cysts in the brain was significantly lower than that in untreated mice. Levels of interferon-r in the serum of infected mice treated perorally with lactoferricin showed a tendency to lower than those in the infected mice without treatment. These results demonstrate that oral administration of lactoferricin induces resistance to T. gondii infection in mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Isamida
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Omata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimazaki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051379:Mice; D015996:Survival Rate; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; C082171:lactoferricin B; D007781:Lactoferrin