Colostrinin

What is it?

Colostrinin is a mixture of low-molecular-weight, proline-rich polypeptides isolated from colostrum, the first milk after birth. It was first described in Poland from sheep's colostrum, where it showed immunomodulatory effects in animals and acted as an inducer of interferon gamma and other cytokines in human blood cell cultures. That led its developers to test it in Alzheimer's disease.

The first randomised trial was small. Forty-six patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's took colostrinin, selenium or placebo tablets in three-week cycles for a year. Assessed by blinded psychiatrists, 8 of 15 on colostrinin improved and 7 stabilised, while none of the 31 on selenium or placebo improved. A larger follow-up trial recruited 105 patients at six Polish centres: over a 15-week double-blind phase, colostrinin showed a stabilising effect on the cognitive scale ADAS-cog (P = 0.02) and on daily function (P = 0.02), with a better response in patients graded mild at entry.

A long-term open study reported slight but statistically significant improvement or stabilisation, with mild side effects such as anxiety, talkativeness and insomnia that settled within days. A 2023 double-blind trial in 361 healthy volunteers of three age groups gave 120 µg lozenges of a bovine-colostrum PRP product for four months and reported changes in several cognitive test scores and higher serum BDNF; the effects differed by age group.

The evidence has clear limits. The trials are small, they used stabilisation and global-response measures rather than the long-term outcomes later Alzheimer's trials require, and the 2023 trial studied healthy people with a related product from cow's colostrum rather than the original ovine preparation. Laboratory work in neuronal cultures and an allergy study in mice support a biological effect but say nothing about human benefit. Colostrinin has never been approved as a drug.

At a Glance

Every value in this table is printed from the Grey Peptides dataset, the same record the compound explorer and comparison tool read, so the three can never disagree.

Educational information, not medical advice. The doses on this page come from approved labels, published studies and, where no study exists, amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.

Published Research

The studies behind colostrinin, read from their PubMed abstracts: the Alzheimer's trials, a trial in healthy volunteers, and laboratory work.

No studies of that type on this page.

Side Effects & Contraindications

Legal Status

Sold as a supplement; not an approved drug.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. [pubmed] Leszek J, et al. "Colostrinin: a proline-rich polypeptide (PRP) complex isolated from ovine colostrum for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study." Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz), 1999;47(6):377-85. PMID: 10608295.
2. [pubmed] Bilikiewicz A, et al. "Colostrinin (a naturally occurring, proline-rich, polypeptide mixture) in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease." J Alzheimers Dis, 2004;6(1):17-26. PMID: 15004324.
3. [pubmed] Leszek J, et al. "Colostrinin proline-rich polypeptide complex from ovine colostrum--a long-term study of its efficacy in Alzheimer's disease." Med Sci Monit, 2002;8(10):PI93-6. PMID: 12388930.
4. [pubmed] Banasiak-Cieślar H, et al. "Proline-rich polypeptides (Colostrinin(®)/COLOCO(®)) modulate BDNF concentration in blood affecting cognitive function in adults: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study." Food Sci Nutr, 2023;11(3):1477-1485. PMID: 36911821.
5. [pubmed] Froud KE, et al. "Colostrinin alleviates amyloid-beta induced toxicity in rat primary hippocampal cultures." J Alzheimers Dis, 2010;20(2):423-6. PMID: 20164569.
6. [pubmed] Boldogh I, et al. "Colostrinin decreases hypersensitivity and allergic responses to common allergens." Int Arch Allergy Immunol, 2008;146(4):298-306. PMID: 18367843.
7. [pubmed] Stewart MG. "Colostrinin: a naturally occurring compound derived from mammalian colostrum with efficacy in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's." Expert Opin Pharmacother, 2008;9(14):2553-9. PMID: 18778193.
8. [pubmed] Janusz M, et al. "Colostrinin: a proline-rich polypeptide complex of potential therapeutic interest." Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand), 2013;59(1):4-11. PMID: 24200016.