Lactoferrin: Promising Strategy for Better Bone and Joint Health - Combats Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis

Over the last ten years, lactoferrin, a natural bioactive glycoprotein from milk, has stirred considerable interest in the field of bone health. (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16) Lactoferrin limits inflammatory messenger molecules to reduce inflammation and reduce catabolic (tearing down) activity in the body. This includes a calming down of the destructive action of osteoclasts, the cells responsible for excessive bone resorption that leads to osteoporosis. This anti-catabolic effect not only helps people with osteoporosis but it also prevents the cartilage degradation seen in people who suffer from osteoarthritis. (17,18)

Lactoferrin, a multifunctional protein of the innate immune defense system.

Now, with solid evidence (19,20,21) that lactoferrin also enhances anabolic (bone building) activity in bones, it is currently one of the hottest and most promising neutraceutical on the market for combating osteoporosis. Lactoferrin's anabolic (building) effect on bone stems from its ability to reduce inflammation and osteoclastic activity, and also by improving osteoblast cell activity for enhanced bone formation.

Lactoferrin is one of those few molecules that is known to effect both the osteoclasts and the osteoblasts in the remodeling activity of bone...AND it is NOW in OsteoStim. OsteoStim already includes a stellar list of natural vitamins, herbs, and bioactive ingredients shown to help balance bone remodeling through a reduction in osteoclastic activity and a boost in osteoblastic bone-building action. This OsteoNaturals product has just gotten better.

1. Blais, A., Malet, A., Mikogami, T., et al. Oral bovine lactoferrin improves bone status of ovariectomized mice. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2009:296(6):E1281-8.
2. Bharadwaj, S., Naidu, A.G., Betageri, G.V., et al. Milk ribonuclease-eriched lactoferrin induces positive effects on bone turnover markers in postmenopausal women. Osteoporos Int 2009; Sept 20(9):1603-11.
3. Guo HY, Jiang L, Ibrahim SA, et al. Orally administered lactoferrin preserves bone mass and microarchitecture in ovariectomized rats J Nutr. 2009;139(5):958–6.
4. Cornish J, Callon KE, Naot D, et al. Lactoferrin is a potent regulator of bone cell activity and increases bone formation in vivo. Endocrinology. 2004;145(9):4366–74.
5. Lorget F, Clough J,Oliveira M, Daury MC, Sabokbar A,Offord E. Lactoferrin reduces invitro osteoclast differentiation and resorbing activity. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2002;296(2):261–6. 
6. Takayama Y, Mizumachi K. Effect of bovine lactoferrin on extracellular matrix calcification by human osteoblast‐like cells. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2008;72(1):226–30. 
7. Takayama Y, Mizumachi K. Effect of lactoferrin‐embedded collagen membrane on osteogenic differentiation of human osteoblast‐like cells. J Biosci Bioeng. 2009;107(2):191–5. 
8. Yagi M, Suzuki N, Takayama T, et al. Effects of lactoferrin on the differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells. Cell Biol Int. 2009;33(3):283–9. 
9. Grey A, Banovic T, Zhu Q, et al. The low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐ related protein1is a mitogenic receptor for lactoferrin in osteoblastic cells. Mol Endocrinol. 2004;18(9):2268–78. 
10. Grey A, Zhu Q, Watson M, Callon K, Cornish J. Lactoferrin potently inhibits osteoblast apoptosis,viaanLRP1‐independent pathway. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2006;251(1–2):96–102. 
11. Grey A, Zhu Q, Watson M, Callon K, Cornish J. Lactoferrin potently inhibitsosteoblastapoptosis,viaanLRP1‐independent pathway. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2006;251(1–2):96–102. 
12. Naot D, Chhana A, Matthews BG, et al. Molecular mechanisms involved in hemitogenic effect of lactoferrin in osteoblasts. Bone. 2011;49(2):217–24.  
13. Hou, J.M., Chen, E.Yl, Wei, S.C., et al. Lactoferrin inhibits apoptosis through insulin-like growth factor 1 in primary rat osteoblasts. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2014;35(4):523-30. 
14. Onubushi, T., Kawazoe, A., Miyauchi, M., et al. Molecular mechanisms of the inhibitory effects of bovine lactoferrin on lipopolysaccharide-mediated osteoclastogenesis. J Biol Chem 2012;287(28):23527-36.
15. Ying, X., Cheng, S., Wang, W., et al. Effect of lactoferrin on osteogenic differentiation of human adipose stem cells. Int Orthop 2012;36(3):647-53.
16. Montesi, M., Panseri, S., Iafisco, M., et al. Coupling hydroxyapatite nanocrystals with lactoferrin as a promising strategy to fine regulate bone homeostasis. PloS One 2015;10(7);e0132633
17. Ahmadinia, K., Yan, D., Ellman, M., Im, H.J. The anti-catabolic role of bovine lactoferricin in cartilage. Biomol Concepts 2013;4(5):495-500.
18. Kim, J.S., Ellman, EB,. An, HS., et al. Lactoferricin mediates anabolic and anti-catabolic effects in the intervertebral disc. J Cell Physiol 2012;227(4):1512-20.
19. Amini AA, Nair LS. Lactoferrin: a biologically active molecule for bone regeneration. Curr Med Chem. 2011;18(8):1220–9. 
20. Li, W., Zhu, S., and Hu. J., Bone regeneration is promoted by orally administered bovine lactoferrin in a rabbit tibial distraction osteogenesis model. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2015; 473(7):2383-93. 
21. Zhang, W., Guo, H., Jing, H., et al. Lactoferrin stimulates osteoblast differentiation through PKA and p38 pathways independent of lactoferrin’s receptor LRP1. J Bone Miner Res 2014;29(5):1232-43.