Glycerol Monolaurate (GML) in Virgin Coconut Oil Destroys Tuberculosis Bacteria

Glycerol Monolaurate (GML) in Virgin Coconut Oil Destroys Tuberculosis Bacteria

By Dr Abe V Rotor

Colonies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

M tuberculosis invading the cells of the lungs

SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) image

of a single bacterium showing damage caused

by Glycerol Monolaurate

Virgin coconut oil is perhaps the most important product derived from coconut as elixir – and now as anti-bacterial medicine.

This finding is based on the response of ten selected strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) on exposure for 24 hours to the minimum inhibitory concentration of GML, which is on the level of 250 micrograms per milliliter (ug/ml).

This is comparable to the effectiveness of anti-TB drugs (streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, and ethamburol), and in fact, GML proved effective to one bacterial strain which is resistant to isoniazid.

The growth of seven confirmed M tubercolusis clinical strains isolated from sputa of TB cases was found to be inhibited by the same glycerol monolaurate concentration.

This result was presented by Jonathan Cabardo in his dissertation for a PhD degree in biological science at the University of Santo Tomas. His adviser is Dr Delia Ontengco, a well known microbiologist and professor at the UST Graduate School.

I asked Dr Cabardo the mechanics on how the tuberculosis bacteria are attacked and killed by GML. This is how he explained it.

“The various morphological changes observed in GML-exposed cells were absence or discontinuity of the outer layer of the cell, wide spaces between the cell membrane and the outer electron-dense layer of the cell envelop, suggesting the shrinking of the cell, vacant spaces within the cell, partial or complete loss of cellular components, burst cells that caused leaking out of the cellular materials into the medium, and plain cellular debris in the medium. Furthermore cell division was not apparent in GML-exposed cells.”

The impressive results of the study give clear evidence that GML can kill the highly pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis, both drug susceptible and resistant strains. Isoniazid-resistant cells were also killed by GML, suggesting that GML is not affected by the mechanism that causes Mtb resistance to isoniazid, a primary drug for active tuberculosis.

It is concluded that GML is mycobactericidal at 250ug/ml. It is recommended that further tests be conducted on other active tuberculosis cases to expand the medicinal and economical value of glycerol monolaurate or monolaurin, a derivative of virgin coconut oil.~

Reference: ad VERITATEM: Multi-Disciplinary Research Journal of the UST Graduate School, Volume 8, Number 1 October 2008. Acknowledgement: photos from Wikipedia.