Lactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional protein that is found in milk, neutrophils, and other biological fluids. Under inflammatory conditions, LF production is increased in the periphery by neutrophils. However, the cardiovascular function of LF is still unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effect of bovine LF (BLF) on the mean blood pressure (MBP) and heart rate (HR) in urethane-anesthetized rats, and the vascular function of BLF in the rat thoracic aorta. Intravenous injection of BLF produced dose-dependent decreases in MBP but did not affect HR, while the opioid agonist morphine decreased both MBP and HR. The hypotensive effect of BLF was not altered by naloxone methiodide, which cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier, but was significantly reduced by naloxone hydrochloride, which does pass through the blood-brain barrier. BLF-induced hypotension was completely blocked by the NO synthase inhibitor, N^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), but not by the inactive enantiomer of L-NAME, N^G-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester (D-NAME). BLF-induced hypotension was not altered by the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist atropine, or the cyclooxygenase inhibitor diclofenac. BLF produced relaxation in endothelium-intact but not endothelium-denuded aortic rings precontracted with phenylephrine. The relaxation evoked by BLF was completely blocked by L-NAME, but not by D-NAME or the ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker glibenclamide. These results suggest that BLF causes hypotension via an endothelium-dependent vasodilation that is strongly mediated by NO production, and that BLF-induced hypotension also may be mediated by the central opioidergic system.