lactoferrin

[ lak-tuh-fer-in ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. a glycoprotein present in milk, especially human milk, and supplying iron to suckling infants.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lactoferrin¹

First recorded in 1970–75; lacto- + ferr(i)- + -in ²

Example Sentences

Infant formula may contain the highly valuable lactoferrin, which would be usually left in whey.

From Salon

We know that human milk contains many components which can be effective as antimicrobials – lactoferrin and antimicrobial peptides, for example.

From Salon

The team used bovine lactoferrin as a model wound-healing drug and entrapped it in the material.

From Science Daily

A second study found that lactoferrin — an immune molecule that performs protective functions, such as puncturing the walls of harmful bacteria — was elevated in the weeks before and after an infant was sick.

From Washington Post

Combining probiotics with molecules such as human-milk oligosaccharides or lactoferrin might help to improve the picture, Barrington says.

From Nature