title: Potential lactoferrin activity against pathogenic viruses.
abstract: Lactoferrin (LF) is an 80-kDa globular glycoprotein with high affinity for metal ions, particularly for iron. This protein possesses many biological functions, including the binding and release of iron and serves as one of the important components of the innate immune system, where it acts as a potent inhibitor of several pathogens. LF has efficacious antibacterial and antiviral activities against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and against both naked and enveloped DNA and RNA viruses. In its antiviral pursuit, LF acts predominantly at the acute phase of the viral infection or even at the intracellular stage, as in hepatitis C virus infection. LF inhibits the entry of viral particles into host cells, either by direct attachment to the viral particles or by blocking their cellular receptors. This wide range of activities may be attributed to the capacity of LF to bind iron and its ability to interfere with the cellular receptors of both hosts and pathogenic microbes.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80203, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Therapeutic and Protective Proteins Laboratory, Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City for Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg EL-Arab 21394, Alexandria, Egypt. Electronic address: redwan1961@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Elrashdy M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Redwan
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80203, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia. Electronic address: vuversky@health.usf.edu.
authors.forename: Vladimir N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Uversky
authors.affiliation: Therapeutic and Protective Proteins Laboratory, Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City for Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg EL-Arab 21394, Alexandria, Egypt. Electronic address: esmailelfakharany@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Esmail M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: El-Fakharany
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80203, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: drhalmehdar@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Mehdar
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000187:drug effects; D006678:HIV / Q000187:drug effects; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017385:Sequence Homology; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000187:drug effects; D013045:Species Specificity; D014780:Viruses / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007781:Lactoferrin
keywords: Antiviral activity; Lactoferrin; Pathogen