SynthesisReviews in medical virology2022
The effects of orally administered lactoferrin in the prevention and management of viral infections: A systematic review.
Synthesis in Reviews in medical virology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Effect of Lactoferrin Supplementation on Inflammation, Immune Function, and Prevention of Respiratory Tract Infections in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Efficacy of Vitamin D Supplements in Prevention of Acute Respiratory Infection: A Meta-Analysis for Randomized Controlled Trials.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- The effects of orally administered lactoferrin in the prevention and management of viral infections: A systematic review.Reviews in medical virology · 2022Pooled it
- Lactoferrin blocks orthopoxvirus entry via heparan sulphate and regulates host antiviral pathways.Emerging microbes & infections · 2026Article
- Iron-driven secondary injury after intracranial hemorrhage: mitochondrial dysfunction and ferroptosis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Vaterite/Fucoidan Hybrid Microparticles: Fabrication, Loading of Lactoferrin, Structural Characteristics and Functional Properties.Marine drugs · 2025Article
- Lactoferrin Supplementation in Preventing and Protecting from SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Is There Any Role in General and Special Populations? An Updated Review of Literature.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Phytochemicals and Vitamin D for a Healthy Life and Prevention of Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Review
- Lactoferrin, Osteopontin and Lactoferrin-Osteopontin Complex: A Critical Look on Their Role in Perinatal Period and Cardiometabolic Disorders.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Lactoferrin as a Component of Pharmaceutical Preparations: An Experimental Focus.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Colostrum Proteins in Protection against Therapy-Induced Injuries in Cancer Chemo- and Radiotherapy: A Comprehensive Review.Biomedicines · 2023Review
- Can Lactoferrin, a Natural Mammalian Milk Protein, Assist in the Battle against COVID-19?Nutrients · 2022Review
- The Influence of Viral Infections on Iron Homeostasis and the Potential for Lactoferrin as a Therapeutic in the Age of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.Nutrients · 2022Review
- Lactoferrin Supplementation during Gestation and Lactation Is Efficient for Boosting Rat Pup Development.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Article
- Article
- High-Dose Vitamin C Supplementation as a Legitimate Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Prophylaxis in Healthy Subjects-Yes or No?Nutrients · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
It has been demonstrated that lactoferrin (LF) plays a role in host defence, but evidence on its potential antiviral property from clinical studies is fragmented. Our systematic review aimed at identifying the effects of orally administered LF against virus infections. The systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, BioRxiv.org and ClinicalTrials.gov from database inception to 7th January 2021. Eligible articles investigated any virus family and provided data on the effects of orally administered LF of any origin in the prevention and/or management of confirmed viral infections in people of any age. A narrative synthesis of the results was performed. Quality was assessed with the Cochrane Risk-Of-Bias and ROBINS-1 tools. A total of 27 records were included, nine of which were registered protocols. We found data on Flaviviridae (n = 10), Retroviridae (n = 3), Coronaviridae (n = 2), Reoviridae (n = 2) and Caliciviridae (n = 1). Most published trials were at high risk of bias. The findings were heterogeneous across and within viral families regarding virological, immunological and biological response, with no clear conclusion. Some weak but positive results were reported about decrease of symptom severity and duration, or reduction in viral loads. Despite high tolerability, the effects of LF as oral supplement are still inconsistent, both in preventing and managing viral infections. Small sample sizes, variety in recruitment and treatment protocols, and low study quality may have contributed to such heterogeneity. Better-designed studies are needed to further investigate its potential benefits against viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.