Overview

Efficacy and Safety of Liposomal Lactoferrin in COVID-19 Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Disease and in COVID-19 Asymptomatic Patients

Status:
Completed

Trial end date:
2020-07-02

Target enrollment:

Participant gender:

Summary

COVID-19 is considered an ongoing international global health problem which already caused 12 million confirmed cases. No specific effective treatment has been identified so far, and available supportive therapies are intended just to severe patients. Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients remain a transmission reservoir, with possible evolution to the most severe disease form, without a clear treatment indication. Lactoferrin (Lf) is a multifunctional glycoprotein, belonging to transferrin family, secreted by exocrine glands and neutrophils and present in all human secretion. The pleiotropic activity of Lf is mainly based on its four different functions: chelate two ferric iron per molecule, interact with anionic molecules, enter inside nucleus and modulate iron homeostasis. The ability to chelate two ferric ions per molecule is associated to the inhibition of reactive oxygen species formation as well as this sequestration of iron, pivotal for bacterial and viral replication, is at the basis of its antibacterial and antiviral activity. Moreover, Lf exerts its antiviral activity against the majority of the tested viruses by binding to heparan sulphate, while against few viruses by interacting with surface components of viral particles. The capability of Lf to exert antiviral activity, by binding to host cells or viral particles or both, strengthens the idea that this glycoprotein is "an important brick in the mucosal wall, effective against viral attacks". Lf was able to block the binding of the spike protein to host cells, indicating that Lf exerted its inhibitory function at the viral attachment stage. The current accepted model suggests that Lf could block viral entry by interacting with heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), which mediate the transport of extracellular virus particles from the low affinity anchoring sites to the high affinity specific entry as ACE-2. Investigators performed a prospective, interventional pilot study to assess the efficacy of liposomal lactoferrin in COVID-19 patients with mild-to moderate disease and in COVID-19 asymptomatic patients. Secondary objectives evaluated the safety and tolerability of liposomal lactoferrin for oral and intra-nasal use.

Phase:

Phase 2/Phase 3

Details

Lead Sponsor:

University of Rome Tor Vergata

Treatments:

Lactoferrin