Antistress and antioxidant effects of virgin coconut oil in vivo

Abstract

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) has been consumed worldwide for various health-related reasons and some of its benefits have been scientifically evaluated. Medium-chain fatty acids were found to be a potential antidepressant functional food; however, this effect had not been evaluated in VCO, which is rich in polyphenols and medium-chain fatty acids. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antistress and antioxidant effects of VCO in vivo, using mice with stress-induced injury. The antistress effect of VCO (administered per os, at a dose of 10 ml/kg body weight) was evaluated using the forced swim test and chronic cold restraint stress models. VCO was able to reduce immobility time and restore oxidative stress in mice post-swim test. Furthermore, mice treated with VCO were found to exhibit higher levels of brain antioxidants, lower levels of brain 5-hydroxytryptamine and reduced weight of the adrenal glands. Consequently, the serum cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose and corticosterone levels were also lower in VCO-treated mice. These results suggest the potential value of VCO as an antistress functional oil.

Role of Coconut Oil Pulling On Oral Health – An Overview

“…He proposed that VCO can be used as an anti-stress functional oil. 38 Horas et al in 2017 conducted a study to evaluate the beneficial effect of VCO on palatoplasty, palatal surgical wound healing. The topical application of virgin coconut oil accelerated wound healing showing an increased number of fibroblast cells appearing in the wound, as well as with fewer pain complaints.…”

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“…A study carried out by Yeap SK et al evaluated the antistress and antioxidant effects of virgin coconut oil in vivo. VCO reduced lipid peroxidation and increase the activity of SOD in the serum of mice undergoing the forced swim test and the brains of mice subjected to chronic cold restraint 10 . VCO has been reported to be rich in polyphenols and these contribute to the increased antioxidant enzyme levels, which in turn reduces inflammation and lipid peroxidation in VCO-treated mice.…”

“…Several studies 10,11 have reported the antioxidant activity of VCO. Oxidative stress induced by the generated free radicals plays a lead role in the development of hepatic toxicity 13 .…”

Virgin Coconut Oil and Its Antimicrobial Properties against Pathogenic Microorganisms: A Review

“…The recognition of coconut oil antimicrobial activities was also reported by Hierholzer and Kabara [42] which focused on virucidal effects of monolaurin RNA and DNA viruses. Recently, experimental outcomes from many studies discovered that monolaurin had not only antimicrobial activity against various gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial cells [1,3,43] but also antifungal and antiviral properties [44,45,46,47,48]. Manohar et al [49] showed that coconut oils, when used as food flavouring agents, exhibited a wide range of antimicrobial activities.…”

“…Manohar et al [49] showed that coconut oils, when used as food flavouring agents, exhibited a wide range of antimicrobial activities. Among MCFAs, LA and its derivatives were found to be the most effective antimicrobial agents for foods and cosmetics [46,50]. The antimicrobial effects of fatty acids are additive and their total concentration is vital for bacterial growth inhibition [35].…”