Figure 3.
Lactoferrin (LTF) protects against oxidative stress-induced cellular damage. LTF inhibits free ferric (Fe3+) ions reactivity with superoxide molecules, thus limiting formation of ferrous (Fe2+) salt and ground state oxygen (step 1). In turn, there is reduced reactivity of ferrous (Fe2+) ion with hydrogen peroxide to form ferric (Fe3+) salt, a hydroxyl radical, and an alcohol (step 2). The end result is that LTF protects against oxidative stress, in particular by limiting the production of hydroxyl radical and lipid peroxidation (step 3).