title: Protective effects of lactoferrin chimera and bovine lactoferrin in a mouse model of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection.
abstract: Mice orally infected with enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 were used to evaluate the activity of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) and the synthetic peptide LFchimera. Groups of BALB/c mice inoculated intragastrically with EHEC O157:H7 showed chronic intestinal infection with the pathogen that persisted over 6 days and resulted in a high mortality rate (90%). LFchimera and kanamycin significantly decreased (40%) this mortality rate (P = 0.028). On the other hand, although mice administered with bLF showed an important reduction in mortality (50%), this was not statistically significant (P = 0.070). In infected and untreated mice, severe tubular necrosis, glomerular lesions, and moderate intratubular hyaline casts were found in the kidney. However, in the bLF and LFchimera groups we found a reduction in the damage and a substantial decrease in the bacterial concentration excreted in feces 48 h after infection. Furthermore, sepsis caused by EHEC was reduced by the treatments, evidenced by the fact that bacteria were not detected in the kidney or liver 72 h after infection. The results suggest the bLF and LFchimera could have potential as therapeutics in EHEC infections.
authors.affiliation: Programa Regional para el Doctorado en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Culiacán Sinaloa, México.
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Flores-Villaseñor
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canizalez-Román
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Velazquez-Roman
authors.forename: Kamran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nazmi
authors.forename: Jan G M
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Bolscher
authors.forename: Nidia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Leon-Sicairos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D002417:Cattle; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000187:drug effects*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D007612:Kanamycin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007668:Kidney / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; C557489:LFchimera peptide; D007612:Kanamycin; D007781:Lactoferrin