lactoferrin

American

[lak-tuh-fer-in] / ˌlæk təˈfɛr ɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

a glycoprotein present in milk, especially human milk, and supplying iron to suckling infants.

Etymology

Origin of lactoferrin

First recorded in 1970–75; lacto- + ferr(i)- + -in ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Infant formula may contain the highly valuable lactoferrin, which would be usually left in whey.

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2024

We know that human milk contains many components which can be effective as antimicrobials – lactoferrin and antimicrobial peptides, for example.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2024

The team used bovine lactoferrin as a model wound-healing drug and entrapped it in the material.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2024

Another component of breast milk, the protein lactoferrin, has a number of antimicrobial properties.

From Nature • Mar. 6, 2018

The stool test indicated that Smarr had twenty times the advisable level of lactoferrin, a marker of inflammation.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 24, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023