Philippine E-Journals

Tuberculosis (TB) is the sixth leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the Philippines due to a single infectious agent, lipid-enveloped Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), and this is aggravated by the emergence of multiple drug resistance in TB strains, not only locally but also globally. Lauric acid is abundantly found in virgin coconut oil. When taken into the body it combines with glycerol and is transformed into glycerol monolaureate, also known as monolaurin. The latter has been reported to disrupt lipid membranes of some microorganisms.

This study investigated the in vitro activity of in house prepared and commercial Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) against MTB reference and clinical strains. Using the Resazurin Microtiter Assay (REMA), twofold serial dilutions of VCO, Monolaurin and

Rifampicin were assayed against 3.0 x 108 CFU/mL of MTB H 37 Rv and 17 Mtb clinical isolates. Resazurin was used as mycobacterial growth indicator. After incubation for 7-8 days, the concentration in the last well that retained the blue coloration was noted as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the test and control drugs. Results showed VCO to be active against MTB H 37 Rv at ≥ 625ug/ml and against the clinical isolates from 78 to ≥ 625. Monolaurin was active at 313 ug/mL against MTB H 37 Rv while Rifampicin, at 0.0025 μg/mL. Study data suggest the potential of VCO as a promising antimycobacterial agent. Expansion of the present study is highly recommended