人乳铁蛋白(hLF)是一种多功能蛋白,属于转铁蛋白家族,具有抗菌、抗病毒和抗氧化等特性。饮食中的hLF能改善机体,特别是婴幼儿对铁元素的吸收率,同时还能够促进肠道上皮细胞的生长发育。上述功能使hLF具有了广泛的应用空间,hLF已被推荐作为食品添加剂。随着其应用的日益广泛,hLF的需求量也在逐年上升。虽然目前已经有不少方法可以从母乳中分离纯化出hLF,但费用较高,产量低,这已成为限制其充分利用的重要因素。研究显示,通过转基因技术使rhLF基因在牛乳腺中表达,会给大规模 Human lactoferrin (hLF) is a multifunctional protein belonging to the transferrin family with antimicrobial, anti-viral and anti-oxidant properties. The dietary hLF improves iron absorption in the body, especially in infants and young children, and at the same time promotes the growth and development of intestinal epithelial cells. These features make hLF has a wide range of applications, hLF has been recommended as a food additive. With its increasingly wide range of applications, hLF demand is also increasing year by year. Although there are many ways to isolate and purify hLF from breast milk, the high cost and low yield have become important factors to limit their full utilization. Studies have shown that by genetically engineered rhLF gene expression in bovine mammary glands, will give large-scale