Expression of lactoferrin in the kidney: Implications for innate immunity and iron metabolism

Conclusion. The present study shows that LF is produced by the kidney and that both LF mRNA and protein are distributed in a highly ordered fashion. This latter finding, together with the very low levels of LF detected in urine, indicates that LF may contribute to the immune defense in the kidney by reduction of available free iron in the urine. Other possibilities are that LF may play a role in the iron metabolism by recovering free iron from urine and making it available for metabolic use, and that LF may participate in the antioxidant defense systems protecting the kidney against nonmicrobial oxidative injury, that is, ischemia, reperfusion and inflammation.