The Prospect of Lactoferrin Use as Adjunctive Agent in Management of SARS-CoV-2 Patients: A Randomized Pilot Study
Fahad Dhafer Algahtani, Mohamed Tharwat Elabbasy, Mai A Samak, Adeniyi A Adeboye, Rafeek A Yusuf, Mohamed E Ghoniem
Medicina, doi:10.3390/medicina57080842
Background and Objectives: Preventive, adjunctive and curative properties of lactoferrin have been evaluated since the first wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), a viral respiratory disease, emerged 18 years ago. Despite the discovery of new vaccine candidates, there is currently no widely approved treatment for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Strict adherence to infection prevention and control procedures, as well as vaccines, can, however, prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of lactoferrin treatment in improving clinical symptoms and laboratory indices among individuals with mild to moderate coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Materials and Method: A randomized, prospective, interventional pilot study conducted between 8 July and 18 September 2020 used a hospital-based sample of 54 laboratoryconfirmed participants with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. Randomization into a control and two treatment groups ensured all groups received the approved Egyptian COVID-19 management protocol; only treatment group participants received lactoferrin at different doses for seven days. Clinical symptoms and laboratory indices were assessed on Days 0, 2 and 7 after starting treatments. Mean values with standard deviation and one-way analysis of variance with least significant difference of demographic and laboratory data between control and treatment groups were calculated. Results: Our study showed no statistically significant difference among studied groups regarding recovery of symptoms or laboratory improvement. Conclusions: Further research into therapeutic properties particularly related to dosage, duration and follow-up after treatment with lactoferrin in individuals with COVID-19 is required.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Abbreviations SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2; COVID-19: Coronavirus disease; Lf: Lactoferrin; Fe: Iron; WHO: World Health Organization; RT-PCR: reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; LDH: Lactate dehydrogenase; ACE2: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; HSPGs: Heparan sulfate proteoglycans; IL: Interleukin; TNF alpha: Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha; CRP: C-reactive protein.
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