Novel Effect and Potential Mechanism of Lactoferrin on Organ Fibrosis Prevention
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An interesting article from China.
The Novel Effect and Potential Mechanism of Lactoferrin on Organ Fibrosis Prevention (2025)
Abstract
Organ fibrosis is gradually becoming a human health and safety problem, and various organs of the body are likely to develop fibrosis. The ultimate pathological feature of numerous chronic diseases is fibrosis, and few interventions are currently available to specifically target the pathogenesis of fibrosis. The medical detection of organ fibrosis has gradually matured. However, there is currently no effective treatment method for these diseases. Therefore, we need to strive for developing effective and reliable drugs or substances to treat and prevent fibrotic diseases. Lactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional glycoprotein with many pathological and physiologically active effects, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects, and it protects against pathological and physiological conditions in various disease models. This review summarizes the effects and underlying mechanisms of LF in preventing organ fibrosis. As a naturally active substance, LF can be used as a promising and effective drug for the prevention and remission of fibrotic diseases.
Figure 3. Potential mechanisms by which LF alleviates organ fibrosis by regulating oxidative stress. LF induces autophagy and inhibits oxidative stress-induced cell death and apoptosis by activating AMPK and inhibiting the Akt/mTOR pathway. LF also downregulates the levels of H2O2, GPx, GR, GST, SOD, and MDA by inhibiting the occurrence of oxidative stress. In the figure, the green arrow represents promotion, the red line represents inhibition, and the deep red arrow represents downregulation. -
My understanding of lactoferrin is very basic, but Iāve been supplementing with it in various forms on and off for years. Most recently Iāve taken it for about a year straight, and when I drop it or take a break, I notice and add it back.
I know one of the more popular reasons for supplementing it is to interfere with iron absorption, (some claim chelation, others simply that it blocks absorption). This is so interesting to me because it ties back to mineral balance, and their role in health and hormonal production/utilization. So this excess iron seems to play a role in pathogenic conditions, and therefore, (or also) inflammation, and therefore, (or also) fibrosis.
I donāt know enough to opine on how we should address what seem to be incredibly complex conditions of balance with regard to zinc, copper, and iron, but it sure as heck seems to me that if there were several overlapping Venn diagrams of health protocols across seemingly ALL modalities, these three minerals would be smack in the center of them.
I hope we can generate a ton of discussion around this. Iām a former contrarian day trader, (13 years doing that) and iron smells to me like the mother of all whale trades. I feel strongly something is there.
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@evan-hinkle - I am in the same boat. I supplement with lactoferrin with the hope that it will do something positive regarding aging.
Dr. Peat wrote about fibrosis and aging.
Peatbot.com: Fibrosis is caused by a variety of factors that lead to the abnormal formation and accumulation of fibrous tissue in the body. Key causes and contributing factors include:
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Abnormal Capillary Permeability: This is often a result of disruptions in the clotting system, which can lead to the leakage of fibrin from the bloodstream into the extracellular matrix, promoting fibrosis.
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Estrogen: Estrogen is known to contribute to the formation of blood clots, edema, and fibrosis. It maintains high levels of free fatty acids, particularly liberating arachidonic acid, which is involved in inflammatory processes that can lead to fibrosis.
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Unsaturated Fats: These fats inhibit proteolytic enzymes, impairing the removal of fibrin clots and making them resistant to dissolution. This can contribute to fibrotic processes.
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Oxidative Stress and Free Radical Peroxidation: These processes are common pathways leading to fibrosis, as seen in conditions like cirrhosis of the liver.
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Inflammation and Injury: Both are fibrogenic, meaning they promote the formation of fibrous tissue.
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Excitotoxins: These are substances that can cause nerve cells to become overactive and are fibrogenic.
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Aging: With aging, there is a tendency for increased levels of free fatty acids and lipid peroxidation, which can contribute to fibrotic changes.
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Hormonal Imbalances: Estrogen, in particular, is excitotoxic and fibrogenic, promoting fibrosis in various tissues.
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Stress and Energy Deficiency: Conditions like hypothyroidism, which lead to energy deficiency, can cause cells to become leaky and edematous, contributing to fibrosis.
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Chronic Diseases: Many chronic and degenerative diseases involve fibrotic processes as part of their progression.
Overall, fibrosis is a complex process involving multiple pathways and factors, including hormonal influences, oxidative stress, dietary components, and chronic inflammation.
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When I think about organ fibrosis, my mind jumps to liver fibrosis from excessive drinking and lung fibrosis from smoking tobacco. But amyloid fibrils found in the brains of Alzheimer patients and Parkinsonās patients.
see A brief overview of amyloids and Alzheimerās disease (2014)
Inhibitors of Amyloid Fibril Formation
There have been many attempts at developing an inhibitor to stop amyloid fibril formation. Chelators of metal ions, particularly copper and iron ions, have been investigated as a possible treatment as copper and iron ions play an important role in AĪ² fibril formation.20,89,103,104 Another approach was the use of antibodies raised against the amyloid fibrils such as antibodies that bind to AĪ².81,90,104 This approach was used by the company, Elan, in 1996 and reached a stage 2 clinical trial.105 However, the trial was halted due to 6% of the patients developing meningoencephalitis.
I do not expect lactoferrin to be a cure-all. And once brain structure is lost, the game is over. Lactoferrin may be useful for anyone interested in slowing brain deterioration.
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@DavidPS while he didnāt mention lactoferrin in the interview, I remember hearing Peat once say that an all milk diet would be sustainable for about a month before causing iron deficiency. Just another thing to think about in the role milk and its components seem to have on iron.
Iāve had pretty rough teeth my whole life despite following dentists recommendations as a child/teen. I have found a ton of relief in lactoferrin, (helps with tooth sensitivity, color, (from yellow to white) and translucence). The color of my teeth reminds me of rust, (which when diluted is more of a yellow-orange than red).
Another modality that has improved my teeth has been the work of Dr Manhart over at the Calcium Therapy Institute. His products combine calcium with zincā¦ And here we are again, zinc, iron. I wonder, if bones are holding iron instead of zinc what their appearance might be? Maybe yellowing from oxidized iron? How is the Calcium Therapy Institute able to recalcify teeth that have almost completely disintegrated, (they primarily focus on bacterial infections causing the decay-though this brings us back to iron potentially)?
Another thing I think about regularly is copper plumbing. All the water that touches our body lives/travels in copper. I donāt know one way or that other if this matters, but itās just another drop in the bucket of āwhat the heck is going on with iron, zinc, and copper?ā Is it possible weād be better off with pex tubing? I recall another interview with Peat where he mentioned that the plastics used for pex were actually some of the safest. I have become fully convinced that environmental factors are possibly the most important to our health, but maybe they arenāt the ones commonly considered. People seem very worried about pollution, and sprawl, and things of this ilk, (which obviously have their own issues) but no one really talks about copper plumbing as potentially problematic. I have no evidence it is to be clear, itās just something that pops in my head from time to time.
One final thing I consider is the number of times I heard Peat say that typically chelation is more deleterious than simply leaving it alone. This stops me from jumping on the HG7 bandwagon despite being interested. I sometimes wish Dr Peat was still with us, as lād love to have his option on some of the newer modalities that pop up now and then. I also think that Peat tended to focus on simplicity over utility because of his understanding of the nature of those who are ill. Itās possible that a complex system like say HG7 could be beneficial, however Peat may have discounted it for its potential to harm, and the difficulty of adhering to it. This doesnāt mean however that something so complex is inherently non-beneficial.
