抄録
Lactoferrin (LF) is known as an iron-binding glycoprotein. We have shown that orally administered bovine-LF (bLF) was transported into cerebrospinal fluid via blood circulation in neonatal and weaned piglets or calves, however its physiological effects in the central nervous system (CNS) were still unclear. In this study, a thermogenetic effect of bLF under stressful condition was investigated in adult rats. Male Wistar-Imamichi strain rats (8 weeks) were exposed to cold stress (7°C) combined with restraint stress. Rectal temperature (RT) was recorded up to 4h, and blood sample was collected at 30 min and 2h of exposing to the stresses. Catecholamine concentration in plasma was measured by HPLC-ECD system. bLF (100 mg/kg) was administered by intraperitoneal injection or feeding of supplemented diet with 1% bLF. Restraint stress induced an increasing of RT at room temperature in both of saline and bLF injected rats. Interestingly, bLF caused a marked increasing of RT even under the combination of cold and restraint stresses, although the RT slightly decreased in the saline injected rat. Similar changes in the RT were also confirmed in the 1% bLF supplemented diet-fed rats. Plasma noradrenaline concentration increased under all stressful conditions, and bLF enhanced NA release in the restraint rat at room temperature. These results suggest that bLF enhanced thermogenesis under the stressful conditions. Moreover, this effect of bLF was possibly related with the sympathetic nervous activities in rats. [Jpn J Physiol 54 Suppl:S208 (2004)]
