Use of bovine lactoferrin for Helicobacter pylori eradication

Abstract

Background: One-week triple therapy is the most frequently recommended treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection. Eradication rate is satisfactory, nevertheless is advisable to look for more effective therapies.

Aim: To test the efficacy of a standard triple therapy plus bovine lactoferrin in the eradication of H. pylori infection.

Patients and methods: One hundred and fifty consecutive H. pylori positive patients, suffering from dyspeptic symptoms were recruited in a 7-day triple therapy open randomised single centre study with rabeprazole, clarithromycin, tinidazole, bovine lactoferrin (group A) or rabeprazole, clarithromycin, tinidazole (group B), or a 10-day therapy with rabeprazole, clarithromycin, tinidazole (group C). H. pylori status was assessed 8 weeks after the end of the treatment by means of a 13C-urea breath test or a H. pylori stool antigen-test.

Results: Eradication rates (intention to treat/per protocol) were: group A (92.2/95.9%), group B (71.2/72.5%) and group C (70.2/75%). The efficacy of triple therapy added with lactoferrin was significantly higher than other two regimens (p=0.01, intention to treat analysis; p=0.005, per protocol analysis).

Conclusion: These results suggest that lactoferrin tested in the present study was effective in curing H. pylori and could be a new agent to assist the antimicrobials in the eradication of the bacterium.