ALPHA LACTALBUMIN
Alpha-lactalbumin has been associated recently with stress reduction; anticancer with human alpha-lactalbumin, immunomodulation and anti-microbial activity after proteolysis.
Researchers in
Catharina Svanborg's laboratory at Lund University. Sweden have reported that
alpha-lactalbumin., together with an unnamed component of human breast milk,
kills all types of breast cancer cells tested to date. The report suggests that
the protein changes in configuration during digestion resulting in
a modified product. This "transformed protein", in the
presence of cancer cells and a co-factor, results in the death of the
cancer cells . The mechanism is not fully known at this time, but may
involve either mitochondria or the nucleus of the cancer cells.
Svensson, et al (J. Biol. Chemistry 274:6388-6396, 1999) at Lund
University have published a peer reviewed paper that showed that polymers of
alpha-lactalbumin from human milk that induce apoptosis (cell death) in tumor
cells with affecting normal cells.
Recent papers related to the bioactive
properties of alpha-lactalbumin include:
General
Yuming Xue, Jian NL, Ziyong S, Zhong M, Chunlei W & Dexu Z (2001) Alpha-Lactalbumin mutant acting as lysozyme. Proteins: Structure, Function and Genetics 42 (1):17-22.
Svensson
M, Hakansson
A, Mossberg
AK, Linse
S & Svanborg
C (2000) Conversion of
alpha-lactalbumin to a protein inducing apoptosis. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 97 (8):4221-4226.
Svensson
M, Sabharwal
H, Hakansson
A, Mossberg
AK, Lipniunas
P, Leffler
H, Svanborg
C & Linse
S
(1999) Molecular characterization
of alpha-lactalbumin folding variants that induce apoptosis in tumor cells. Journal
of Biological Chemistry 274 (10):6388-6396.
Pihlanto-Leppala
A, Marnila
P, Hubert
L, Rokka
T, Korhonen
HJT & Karp
M (1999) The effect of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin
hydrolysates on the metabolic activity of Escherichia coli JM103. Journal
of Applied Microbiology 87(4):540-545.
Pellegrini
A, Thomas
U, Bramaz
N, Hunziker
P & Fellenberg
R von (1999) Isolation and identification of three bactericidal
domains in the bovine alpha-lactalbumin molecule. Biochimica
et Biophysica Acta 1426 (3):439-448.
Stress Reduction
Markus
CR, Olivier
B, Panhuysen
GEM, Gugten
J van der, Alles
MS, Tuiten
A, Westenberg
HGM, Fekkes
D, Koppeschaar,
HF & Haan
EEHF de (2000) The bovine protein alpha-lactalbumin increases the
plasma ratio of tryptophan to the other large neutral amino acids, and in
vulnerable subjects raises brain serotonin activity, reduces cortisol
concentration, and improves mood under stress.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 71 (6):1536-1544.
Immunomodulation
Montagne
PM, Cuilliere
ML, Mole
CM, Bene
MC & Faure
GC (2000) Dynamics of the main immunologically and nutritionally available
proteins of human milk during lactation. Journal
of Food Composition and Analysis
13 (2):127-137.