Virgin Coconut Oil Supplementation as Ulcerative Colitis Prevention, Does it work? Clinical Correlation

Background and objectives: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease of the large intestine characterized by diffuse mucosal damage accompanied by ulceration. UC is associated with proinflammatory cytokines. Currently, many herbal medicines are used to prevent various diseases. One of them, virgin coconut oil (VCO), is thought to be used as UC therapy. Aims: To see the VCO supplementation effect as a prevention of Ulcerative Colitis by measuring inflammatory cytokine levels, Mouse Colitis Histopathology Index (MCHI) scores, and Disease Activity Index (DAI) scores. Materials and methods: This study used mice which were divided into 5 groups, namely the KS group (mineral water), the KDSS group (dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) 5%), the KL-VCO group (5% DSS + VCO 1000 mg/kgBW/day), the KM-VCO group (DSS 5% + VCO 3000 mg/kgBW/day), and the KH-VCO group (DSS 5% + VCO 9000 mg/kgBW/day). The treatment lasted 5 days, with observations of DAI score, MCHI score, and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10) were examined with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: When compared to the KDDS control group, the IL-10 levels of the treatment group that got VCO therapy went up as the doses of the KL-VCO group, the KM-VCO group, and the KH-VCO group went up in order. Besides, VCO therapy showed a decrease in IL-6 levels, TNF-α levels, DAI scores, and MCHI scores with increasing sequential doses in the KL-VCO group, the KM-VCO group, and the KH-VCO group when compared to the KDDS control group. Conclusion: VCO supplementation can be used to prevent ulcerative colitis by increasing IL-10 levels while reducing IL-6, TNF-α, DAI, and MCHI scores. These effects can be caused by compounds in VCO with potential as anti-inflammatories and antioxidants.