Mutagenicity of bovine lactoferrin in reverse mutation test.

The mutagenicity of bovine lactoferrin, which is an iron-binding glycoprotein in milk, was evaluated by the Ames mutagenicity test. A total of 5 test strains including 3 base-pair substitution-type strains, Salmonella typhimurium TA100, TA1535 and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA, and 2 frameshift-type strains, TA98 and TA1537, were used in the test. The test was performed by both the direct method and the metabolic activation method with preincubation applied in each instance. The concentration range of the test solution was 0.16 to 5.00 mg/100 microliters (plate). Results of the test revealed that the number of revertant colonies at each concentration of the test solutions was less than 1.4 times that of the control group. In the test system used, bovine lactoferrin did not exhibit mutagenicity.