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. 2025 Aug 13.
doi: 10.1007/s11626-025-01055-w. Online ahead of print.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum promotes lactoferrin synthesis and secretion in bovine mammary epithelial cells through STAT3 and AP-1 transcription factor pathways

Jinyu Zhou  1   2   3 , Shuai Lian  1   2   3 , Zijian Geng  1   2   3 , Yuejie Yang  4   5   6 , Rui Wu  7 , Jianfa Wang  8   9   10
Affiliations

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum promotes lactoferrin synthesis and secretion in bovine mammary epithelial cells through STAT3 and AP-1 transcription factor pathways

Jinyu Zhou et al. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. .

Abstract

Probiotics can support the immune function of dairy cows and contribute to the synthesis of milk components in mammary gland tissue. Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) possesses immune-regulating and nutritional properties; however, the impact of probiotics on bLF remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether probiotics can enhance the synthesis and secretion of bLF in the mammary gland, with a particular focus on the specific mechanisms by which Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) regulates bLF. Primary bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) were cultured in six-well plates and treated with various types of probiotics. The expression of bLF was evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of transcription factors associated with the bLF promoter region, specifically, was analyzed through qRT-PCR and Western blot. Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus), Streptococcus thermophilus (S. thermophilus), Bifidobacterium (Bifido.), and L. plantarum upregulated bLF gene and protein expression to varying extents, with L. plantarum exhibiting the most pronounced effect. Furthermore, L. plantarum was found to regulate the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 and AP-1. These findings indicate that probiotics can influence the expression of bLF in mammary gland tissue. Additionally, L. plantarum modulates the production of bLF via the STAT3 and AP-1 transcription factor pathways.

Keywords: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum; Bovine lactoferrin; Bovine mammary epithelial cells; Gene expression regulation; Probiotics.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All animal care and experimental procedures were performed according to the requirements of the Experimental Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee of Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University (approval no.: DWKJXY2024018). Consent for publication: All authors read and agree to the content of this paper and its publication. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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