Natural Remedies in the Fight Against Parasites

6. Conclusion and perspectives

Lf and its derived peptides Lfcins could be an option in the treatment of intestinal parasitic

diseases, based mainly on resultsin vitroand in animal models. Research in this glycopro-

tein has generally been leaded with success, although it is necessary to deep in the under-

standing of the mechanisms of action of Lf against parasites. In general, drugs used in the

therapy antiparasites cause toxic side effects, and/or the parasites can become resistant to

them. Lf is an innocuous protein that could be used as adjunct with drugs, with the

considerable advantage of using low doses of drugs due to the synergic effect of Lf. It

would be required more studies in animal models and carry out strict clinical trials with

methodologic accuracy and a large number of patients, in order to extend the use of Lf as a

parasiticide.

Acknowledgements

We thank to Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT) for the grants obtained to

support our research: No. CB-2012-179251 (Mireya de la Garza), No. CB-2011-167788 (Julio

César Carrero), and No. CB-2014-236546 (Nidia León-Sicairos). JCC also thanks to Programa

de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (PAPIIT-UNAM) for grant

No. IN206316. We also thank Dr. Luisa Samaniego and Mr. Carlos Villasana for their technical

assistance.

Abbreviations

ALA Amoebic liver abscess

apoLf Apolactoferrin

bLf Bovine Lf

BID Bowel inflammatory disease

INFγ Gamma interferon

holoLf Hololactoferrin

HIV Human immune deficiency virus

hLf Human Lf

IL Interleukin

IA Intestinal amoebiasis

IBS Irritable bowel syndrome

Lf Lactoferrin

Lfcin Lactoferricin

MEM Minimal essential medium

MIC Minimal inhibitory concentration

170 Natural Remedies in the Fight Against Parasites