ABSTRACT
In current COVID-19 pandemic, when there is no specific antiviral treatment and vaccine is available yet, many nutritional supplements have caught the attention to manage the disease. Lactoferrin is one of a natural nutritional supplement found in the milk of livestock mammals and has immunomodulation property due to its iron withholding ability and capacity to bind to multiple cellular receptors. The antiviral ability of lactoferrin has been evaluated against many viruses including SARS-CoV which is closely related to SARS-CoV-2 (causative agent of COVID-19). Furthermore, lactoferrin also possesses anti-inflammatory efficacy and can inhibit the circulating inflammatory cytokines (e.g. Interferon γ, interleukin (IL-) 1B, IL-6, IL-12) and chemokines (CCL2 and CXCL10) which are reported to be present in higher levels in COVID-19 patients. A particular research about exploring the potential of lactoferrin against SARS-CoV-2 is highly demandable because lactoferrin might prevent the SARS-CoV-2 from infecting the host cells due to its biological activities regarding antiviral immunity. We are hopeful that further research on evaluating the pharmacological effect of lactoferrin against SARS-CoV-2 will signify its role to combat COVID-19. © 2020, University of Basrah, College of Agriculture. All rights reserved.