Lactoferrin as a Potent Natural Supplement Exhibiting a Synergistic Effect with Drugs in Antimicrobial and Anticancer Therapies

Abstract

: For many years, natural products have played a crucial role in drug discovery and drug design as a source of active agents or as inspiration. Lactoferrin (Lf), a glycoprotein found in milk and mammalian secretions, has been extensively studied in recent years, and numerous antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties of Lf have been demonstrated in the literature. The use of lactoferrin as a co-agent or supplement to enhance the beneficial effect of drugs, or to reduce their side effects, arouses the interest of many researchers, especially since Lf is a well-studied, biocompatible, cheap, and easily accessible protein. In this mini-review, we focus on the elucidation of the role of Lf in antimicrobial or anticancer therapies, pointing to the possible mechanism underlying the determined synergism between Lf and commonly used drugs.