Lactoferrin (Lf) is an iron-binding glycoprotein present in almost all mammalian secretions which plays an important role in host defense against microbial and viral infections. The protein has been reported to also have anti-inflammatory activity and antitumoral effects in vitro and in vivo. Thin films of Lf were deposited on silicon, quartz and Thermanox plastic coverslip substrates by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique, using a Nd:YAG laser working at 266 nm, at different laser fluences (0.1-0.8 J cm(2)). The deposited layers have been characterized by Fourier Transformed Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR), and the morphology of the various substrates was investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The biocompatibility of lactoferrin thin films was evaluated for each substrate, by in vitro biochemical tests. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.