Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bovine lactoferrin effects on immune cells in cats with chronic FIV
By Kobayashi, Saori et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2008·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Effect of bovine lactoferrin on functions of activated feline peripheral blood mononuclear cells during chronic feline immunodeficiency virus infection.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) showed signs of immune system dysfunction, which can lead to severe health issues. Researchers tested bovine lactoferrin (bLF), a protein that helps reduce inflammation, to see if it could improve the immune response in these cats. The results indicated that bLF not only decreased harmful immune cell activity but also helped restore normal cell function. This suggests that bLF could be a beneficial treatment for FIV-infected cats, potentially improving their overall health and immune response.
People also search for: cat FIV treatment · bovine lactoferrin for cats · cat immune system support · feline immunodeficiency virus symptoms · how to help FIV-positive cats
Abstract
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection is characterized by chronic overactivation of immune and inflammatory system, resulting in anergic state and dysfunction of immune cells. Lactoferrin (LF), a glycoprotein present in exocrine secretions and neutrophils, plays an important role in host defense system. Our previous study showed that oral administration of bovine LF (bLF) suppressed oral inflammation, improved the clinical symptoms and decreased serum gamma-globulin as a marker of inflammation in FIV-infected cats with intractable stomatitis. The anti-inflammatory effect was partly involved in regulation of neutrophil function by bLF. In this study, to clarify the relationship between anti-inflammatory effects of bLF and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), we examined the effect of bLF on proliferation, cell cycle progression and cytokine expression in mitogen-activated PBMC. MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assay showed that bLF inhibited the concanavalin A (ConA)-induced cell proliferation in FIV-infected cats with the asymptomatic carrier and AIDS-related complex (ARC) phase. Bovine LF restored ConA-induced cell cycle progression and resulted in suppression of the induced apoptosis in feline PBMC. Real-time RT-PCR showed that bLF suppressed ConA-induced expression of interferon-gamma and interleukin-2 in cells of the ARC group regardless of the time of its addition to the medium. These results suggest the hypothesis that therapy with bLF may have the potential to improve and protect functions of overactivated lymphocytes by modulating the cell proliferation, cell cycle and cytokines expression in cats in terminal stage of FIV infection.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18525162/