A variety of milk proteins including lactoferrin, angiogenin-1, alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, lactoperoxidase, casein and the novel whey proteins lactogenin and glycolactin were tested for inhibitory activity toward human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT), alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase and beta-glucuronidase. Lactoferrin exerted the most potent inhibitory action with an IC50 of about 6 microM. Lactoperoxidase, lactogenin, angiogenin-1 and glycolactin inhibited HIV-1 RT activity with decreasing potencies. Beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin and casein displayed little or no inhibitory effect. Succinylation with succinic anhydride augmented the inhibitory effect of glycolactin, beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, casein and human lactoferrin. The inhibitory effect of the various milk proteins on the activities of alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase and beta-glucuronidase was meager. Succinylation tended to increase the alpha-glucosidase-inhibitory effect of milk proteins but neither their beta-glucosidase-inhibitory nor beta-glucuronidase-inhibitory effect was affected.