∞ generated and posted on 2016.03.19 ∞
Iron-binding protein found in milk, mucus, and saliva.
Free, that is, unbound iron ion (i.e., ferrous, ferric) is purposefully kept at low levels within bodies because it serves as a key nutrient for bacterial pathogens.
In addition to lactoferrin, so too does transferrin serve as an iron-binding protein, though within the body rather than in the external secretions that lactoferrin is associated with.