title: Effects of human lactoferrin on NK cell cytotoxicity against haematopoietic and epithelial tumour cells.
abstract: Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein implicated in particular in the control of immune functions and cell proliferation. We have investigated its involvement, at inflammatory concentrations, in cancer progression. We report that lactoferrin has a significant effect on natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity against haematopoietic and breast epithelial cell lines. Lactoferrin increases cytolysis at a low concentration (10 micrograms/ml) while at a high concentration (100 micrograms/ml) it modulates cytolysis depending on the target cell phenotype. By pre-treatment of either NK cells or target cells with lactoferrin, we have demonstrated that the lactoferrin effect is due both to a modulation of NK cell cytotoxicity and the target cell sensitivity to lysis. Lactoferrin binds to 91% of the naturally heterogeneous CD56dim/bright NK cell population and increases the NK cell cytotoxic activity at low concentrations. High concentrations of lactoferrin seem to be toxic for the CD56bright NK cells and decrease NK cell cytotoxicity. Lactoferrin also exerts an effect on target cells depending on the cell phenotype. It does not modify the susceptibility to lysis of haematopoietic cells such as Jurkat and K-562 cells, but does significantly increase that of the breast and colon epithelial cells. We have also demonstrated that lactoferrin inhibits epithelial cell proliferation by blocking the cell cycle progression.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Biologique, Unité Mixte de Recherche du CNRS No. 111, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Damiens
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mazurier
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: el Yazidi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Duthille
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spik
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Boilly-Marer
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000276:immunology*; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000276:immunology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D007781:Lactoferrin