title: Effects of lactoferrin supplementation on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility, gastrointestinal microbial populations, and immune characteristics of ileal cannulated, healthy, adult dogs.
abstract: Orally supplemented lactoferrin derived from bovine milk is purported to have beneficial effects on gut health of animals. Bovine lactoferrin (0, 60, or 120 mg/d) was fed to ileal cannulated, adult dogs in a replicated 3 x 3 Latin square design with 14 d periods. Control dogs tended (p = 0.06) to have higher fecal DM concentrations compared with dogs supplemented with 120 mg/d lactoferrin (34.5 vs. 32.9%). Fecal scores ranged from 3.0 - 3.3, suggesting that feces of all dogs was near the desired consistency, with dogs supplemented with 120 mg/d lactoferrin tending (p = 0.08) to have higher fecal scores. Ileal azoreductase activity tended (p < 0.10) to be higher in dogs supplemented with 60 or 120 mg/d lactoferrin (609 vs. 592 nmol/h per g ileal DM, respectively) as compared with unsupplemented dogs (272 nmol/h per g ileal DM). The following bacterial groups were measured: bifidobacteria, Campylobacter spp., Clostridium spp., eubacteria, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp. Fecal streptococci concentrations were lower (p < 0.05) for dogs receiving 60 mg/d lactoferrin (8.60 log10 cfu/g fecal DM) as compared with unsupplemented dogs (9.19 log10 cfu/g fecal DM) or dogs receiving 120mg lactoferrin/d (9.43 log10 cfu/g fecal DM). Dogs supplemented with 120mg/d lactoferrin tended (p = 0.08) to have higher fecal indole concentrations as compared to unsupplemented dogs (1.80 vs. 1.46 micromol/g fecal DM). Because most bacterial groups measured were unaffected, it appears that lactoferrin did not exhibit prebiotic activity, and based on the data collected, lactoferrin also did not appear to have major effects on indices of health in the dog.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, USA
authors.forename: Lynda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Flickinger
authors.forename: Lisa K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Karr-Lilienthal
authors.forename: Julie K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Spears
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krammer
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Fahey
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004063:Digestion / Q000187:drug effects*; D004285:Dogs / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D007082:Ileum / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000662:veterinary; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D009601:Nitroreductases; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases; D009601:Nitroreductases; C021106:azoreductase; D007781:Lactoferrin