Beneficial role of virgin coconut oil supplementation against acute methotrexate chemotherapy-induced oxidative toxicity and inflammation. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Beneficial role of virgin coconut oil supplementation against acute methotrexate chemotherapy-induced oxidative toxicity and inflammation in rats.
Integr Med Res. 2018 Sep ;7(3):257-263. Epub 2018 May 14. PMID: 30271714
Ademola C Famurewa
Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is a commonly used antineoplastic and anti-rheumatoid agent whose efficacy is limited by marked organ toxicities associated with oxidative stress. The study investigated beneficial effect of virgin coconut oil (VCO) supplementation on MTX-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in rats.
Methods: Rats were divided into 4 groups (n = 6): Control, MTX (20 mg/kg bw), VCO (5%) + MTX and VCO (15%) + MTX. The pre-treatment with VCO for 14 days was followed by single intraperitoneal injection of MTX and the rats were sacrificed after 3 days. Serum activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and nitric oxide (NO) levels were also evaluated.
Results: MTX induced a distinct diminution in serum activities of oxidative stress markers (SOD, CAT, GPx and GSH), while lipid peroxidation considerably increased demonstrated by MDA level. Similarly, levels of IL-6, CRP and NO increased prominently in MTX control rats. The VCO supplementation markedly enhanced resistance to the MTX-induced biochemical alterations in rats.
Conclusion: VCO can be a useful adjuvant natural product in MTX chemotherapy by reducing oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory responses.
