Lactoferrin as an added therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

Background Bovine lactoferrin (bLF), an iron-binding glycoprotein, is a nonenzymatic antioxidant found in the whey fraction of fermented milk as well as in colostrum. The possibility that bLF may help improve the Helicobacter pylori eradication rate was first conceived in 1997 when an in-vitro study by Yamazaki and colleagues showed that bLF was bactericidal to H. pylori in Brucella broth. Later in-vitro studies have confirmed the same and yielded evidence of the possible mechanism of the bactericidal action of bLF, relating it to the high iron-binding affinity and prevention of iron utilization by H. pylori. Lactoferrin is used for treating stomach and intestinal ulcers, diarrhea, and hepatitis C. Aim The aim of the study was to verify the value of adding lactoferrin to the treatment of H. pylori infection. Patients and methods This study was conducted on 50 patients selected from Internal Medicine Department, Benha University Hospital. They were divided into group 1, which included 25 patients who were treated with traditional therapy (clarithromycin, omeprazole, amoxicillin, or metronidazole), and group 2, who were treated by traditional therapy plus lactoferrin (pravotin) for 1 week. H. pylori stool antigen testing was performed for both groups before and after therapy to assess the response to therapy. Results were statistically analyzed. Results Our results show that addition of lactoferrin improves the H. pylori infection eradication rate.