Supplementation of Virgin Coconut Oil Compared with Copra Oil, Olive Oil and Sunflower Oil on Thrombotic Factors in Rats and In Vitro Platelet Aggregation

Abstract

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) extracted from fresh coconut kernel is becoming very valuable because of its numerous beneficial properties. In the present study, comparative effect of VCO with copra oil (CO), olive oil (OO) and sunflower oil (SFO) on thrombotic factors and platelet aggregation were investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed test oils at 8% level for 45 days along with the synthetic diet. Results demonstrated that compared to CO, a prolonged prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were observed in VCO fed rats and was comparable with OO and SFO. Supplementation of VCO reduced the coagulation factors namely factor V, fibrin, fibrinogen and thromboxane B2 levels in plasma compared to those fed CO, OO and SFO. Compared to other test oils, platelet aggregating tendency was also reduced in VCO fed rats. The polyphenolic fraction (PF) isolated from VCO inhibited in vitro platelet aggregation induced by ADP compared to PF from other oils. These results indicated that supplementation of VCO has significant antithrombotic effect by inhibiting the activation of platelets and coagulation factors compared to rats fed other test oils.