Inhibition of DMH‑DSS‑induced colorectal cancer by liposomal bovine lactoferrin in rats

Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) is a multifunctional protein with anti‑inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anti‑tumour and immunoregulatory effects. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti‑inflammatory and anti‑tumour effects of liposomal bLF (LbLF) in a 1,2‑dimethylhydrazine (DMH)/dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)‑induced model of carcinogenesis in F344 rats. F344 rats were randomly divided into three groups: Control (water), 500 or 1,000 mg/kg/day LbLF; additionally, the rats were injected with DMH (20 mg/kg) once per week for 8 consecutive weeks, after one week of drinking water containing 1% DSS. All rats were sacrificed at 25 weeks. The tissues were examined for the presence of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and subjected to histopathological analysis. Additionally, human colon cancer cells were utilised to investigate the effect of LbLF on proliferation and inflammation. Rats from the 500 and 1,000 mg/kg/day LbLF groups harboured significantly fewer colon ACF, adenomas and adenocarcinomas than the rats from the control group. Lastly, it was demonstrated that LbLF inhibits cell growth and TNF‑α mRNA expression. These data support the hypothesis that LbLF affects colorectal carcinogenesis by suppressing inflammation and cell proliferation in rats.