Lactoferrin Ameliorates Ovalbumin-Induced Asthma in Mice through Reducing Dendritic-Cell-Derived Th2 Cell Responses

作者：Chi‐Chen Lin, Kai-Cheng Chuang, Shih‐Wei Chen, Ya‐Hsuan Chao, Chih‐Ching Yen, Shang‐Hsun Yang, Wei Chen, Kuang‐Hsi Chang, Yu-Kang Chang, Chuan‐Mu Chen · 发表于：International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.3390/ijms232214185 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Infant Nutrition and Health、Neonatal Respiratory Health Research、Pediatric health and respiratory diseases

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease with symptoms such as expiratory airflow narrowing and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Millions of people suffer from asthma and are at risk of life-threatening conditions. Lactoferrin (LF) is a glycoprotein with multiple physiological functions, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antitumoral activities. LF has been shown to function in immunoregulatory activities in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) in mice. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of LF in AHR and the functions of dendritic cells (DCs) and Th2-related responses in asthma. Twenty 8-week-old male BALB/c mice were divided into normal control (NC), ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized, and OVA-sensitized with low dose of LF (100 mg/kg) or high dose of LF (300 mg/kg) treatment groups. The mice were challenged by intranasal instillation with 5% OVA on the 21st to 27th day after the start of the sensitization period. The AHR, cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and pulmonary histology of each mouse were measured. Serum OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 and OVA-specific splenocyte responses were further detected. The results showed that LF exhibited protective effects in ameliorating AHR, as well as lung inflammation and damage, in reducing the expression of Th2 cytokines and the secretion of allergen-specific antibodies, in influencing the functions of DCs, and in decreasing the level of Th2 immune responses in ...