Metabolic, Blood Cell and Bone Marrow Status in db/db Mice Treated with Lactoferrin at Various Stages of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The use of Lactoferrin (Lf) for treating stages I and II of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) initially stabilized the glucose level and weight of db/db mice, followed by normalization of these parameters after the drug discontinuation. By the end of Lf usage at stage III of DM2, these parameters in the animals sharply decreased, leading to their rapid death. In all experiments, under Lf treatment at stages I, II, and III of DM2, the oxidative metabolism index (OMI) was initially decreasing, followed by its growth to higher than the initial level at stages I and II of DM2 after the drug discontinuation, and was sharply decreasing again at stage III. The corresponding stress-adaptive changes were also revealed for blood cells and bone marrow, the development of which was carried out with the participation of programmed cell death mechanisms. Lf used to correct clinical manifestations of DM2 acts as a powerful adaptogen. It is capable of exerting an adjuvant effect on the metabolism and state of blood and bone marrow cells, but only at early stages with preserved adaptive reserves in the body.