ABSTRACT
This research was conducted to assess the role of different levels of lactoferrin supplementation in rats diet upon some physiological and biological parameters over four weeks of feeding course. The results could be summerized as follow: 1- Body weight gain, Food intake and Protein efficiency ratio [PER] were increased by increasing the levels of lactoferrin supplementation in the diet. 2- There were slight increase by increasing the levels of lactoferrin on kidney weight and spleen weight, while there was decrease in liver weight by the increasing of lactoferrin level. 3- There was no effect of lactoferrin on creatinine level or serum urea. 4- The results showed that [AST], [ALT] and [ALP] enzymes were increased by the increasing of lactoferrin levels, while total cholesterol, plasma triglycerides and phospholipids were decreased by increasing of lactoferrin but there was increase in HDL-Cholesterol compared with control. 5- There were decrease in liver total cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipids and HDL-cholesterol by increase of lactoferrin levels in the diet compared with control. 6- Concerning serum minerals, there were increase in serum Ca, phosphorus, Mg, Iron, ferritin and serum Zinc levels, by the increasing of lactoferrin levels. 7- All of ingested bovine lactoferrin levels had no effect on the glycemic state of all examined rats. 8- Level of hemoglobin increased by increasing lactoferrin levels in the diet. The same finding about hematocrite