Virgin Coconut Oil and Its Antimicrobial Properties against Pathogenic Microorganisms: A Review
Authors
Nur Ainatul Mardia Mohamad Nasir, Zurainie Abllah, Anil Azura Jalaludin, Intan Azura Shahdan, Wan Nor Hayati Wan Abd Manan
Corresponding Author
Nur Ainatul Mardia Mohamad Nasir
Available Online February 2018.
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2991/idcsu-17.2018.51How to use a DOI?
- Keywords
- Virgin coconut oil, medium chain fatty acids, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral
- Abstract
- Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is the purest form of coconut oil, essentially water-clear or colourless that consists mainly of medium chain saturated fatty acids. For over many decades, the biological properties of VCO have been widely explored and investigated due to their antimicrobial potentials. The large concentration of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) including lauric acid (LA) and its monoglyceride form, monolaurin makes VCO effective in their mode of actions against pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, VCO could be used as a daily supplement or an alternative remedy against microbial infections. We review and discuss the current state of knowledge of VCO studies and focus on its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities aiming to unravel the underlying mechanisms of VCO inhibition of these pathogenic microorganisms.
- Open Access
- This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license.
Cite this article
TY - CONF AU - Nur Ainatul Mardia Mohamad Nasir AU - Zurainie Abllah AU - Anil Azura Jalaludin AU - Intan Azura Shahdan AU - Wan Nor Hayati Wan Abd Manan PY - 2018/02 DA - 2018/02 TI - Virgin Coconut Oil and Its Antimicrobial Properties against Pathogenic Microorganisms: A Review BT - International Dental Conference of Sumatera Utara 2017 (IDCSU 2017) PB - Atlantis Press SP - 192 EP - 199 SN - 2468-5739 UR - https://doi.org/10.2991/idcsu-17.2018.51 DO - https://doi.org/10.2991/idcsu-17.2018.51 ID - Nasir2018/02 ER -