Background

Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein that exhibits a variety of potentially beneficial biological activities and has favorable safety and biocompatibility characteristics. For these reasons, LF has been widely used as a functional component in the medical, food, and cosmetic industries. Applications of LF-based materials, such as complexes, nanoparticles, hydrogels and emulsions, to encapsulate, protect and deliver bioactive compounds is gaining increasing attention.

Scope and approach

This review highlights the considerable potential of LF-based encapsulation and delivery systems by summarizing research progress on the structure, physicochemical properties, and biological activities of LF. In particular, it highlights advances in utilizing LF-based nanocarriers as natural vehicles for nutraceutical delivery and release, as well as strategies for encapsulating LF as a functional ingredient.

Key findings and conclusions

Functional LF-biopolymer complexes can be formed by heat treatment, covalent conjugation or electrostatic assembly under appropriate fabrication conditions. These complexes have been shown to be highly effective for the oral delivery of nutraceuticals and drugs. LF can also be utilized to fabricate emulsions, nanoparticles, or microgels to improve the stability and bioaccessibility of bioactive components. However, there are still a number of challenges associated with optimizing the performance of LF-based delivery systems so that they can be used in commercial applications.

中文翻译：

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基于乳铁蛋白的载体可用于生物活性化合物的输送：复合物，乳液和纳米颗粒

背景

乳铁蛋白（LF）是一种铁结合糖蛋白，具有多种潜在的有益生物活性，并具有良好的安全性和生物相容性。由于这些原因，LF已被广泛用作医疗，食品和化妆品行业的功能组件。LF基材料（例如复合物，纳米颗粒，水凝胶和乳液）在封装，保护和递送生物活性化合物方面的应用越来越受到关注。

范围和方法

这篇综述通过总结关于LF的结构，理化性质和生物活性的研究进展，突出了基于LF的封装和递送系统的巨大潜力。特别是，它突出了利用基于LF的纳米载体作为天然载体进行营养保健品输送和释放的进展，以及将LF封装为功能成分的策略。

主要发现和结论

可以在适当的制造条件下通过热处理，共价结合或静电组装形成功能性LF-生物聚合物复合物。这些复合物已被证明对口服保健食品和药物非常有效。LF还可用于制造乳液，纳米颗粒或微凝胶，以提高生物活性组分的稳定性和生物可及性。然而，优化基于LF的传送系统的性能仍然存在许多挑战，以便将它们用于商业应用。