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Review
. 2022 Jul;70(7):2328-2334.
doi: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_303_22.

Lactoferrin and its nano-formulations in rare eye diseases

Jiya Singh  1 , Mohita Sharma  2 , Neha Jain  3 , Insha Aftab  2 , Naval Vikram  4 , Tej P Singh  1 , Pradeep Sharma  1 , Sujata Sharma  1
Affiliations
Review

Lactoferrin and its nano-formulations in rare eye diseases

Jiya Singh et al. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein released from mucous secreting cells and neutrophils. LF can be used in a broad range of eye diseases related to the retina, cornea, and optic nerve. The retina is particularly affected by oxidative stress inside the photoreceptor being constantly exposed to light which induces accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) causing damage to photoreceptor recycling. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and macular degeneration are inherited retinopathies that consist of different disease-causing genes, that cause mutations with highly varied clinical consequences. Age-related macular degeneration is a chronic disease of the retina and one of the major causes of sight loss. This review provides an application of lactoferrin and LF-based nano-formulations or nanoparticles in the field of retinal diseases or corneal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, retinoblastoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), keratoconus and uveitis. Several studies have found that lactoferrin's antibacterial activity is not limited to its iron sequestration, but also its ability as a nanoparticle that acts as a carrier to deliver drugs by crossing the blood-retina barrier (BRB) and its involvement in cell cycle control, which is not possible by many transferrin proteins.

Keywords: Corneal diseases; lactoferrin; macular degeneration; nanoparticles; retinal diseases; retinitis pigmentosa; retinoblastoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Lactoferrin nanoparticle formation by using sol-oil method
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age-related macular degeneration has different stages
Figure 3
Figure 3
Leukocoria
Figure 4
Figure 4
Functions of lactoferrin in various rare eye diseases
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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