Highlights
- •Coconut oil is a common edible oil rich in lauric acid is gaining momentum in the healthcare systems.
- •Docking studies revealed higher efficiency of lauric acid with target molecules of polyol pathway.
- •In vitro and in vivo studies documented inhibitory of aldose reductase, a key enzyme of polyol pathway.
- •Coconut oil, in particular lauric acid is suggested as a candidate for alleviating diabetic complications.
Abstract
Coconut oil (CO), the primary choice of cooking purposes in the south Asian countries,
is rich in medium chain saturated fatty acids, especially lauric acid (50–52%). The
oil has high medicinal use in Ayurvedic system and known to contain polyphenolic antioxidants.
Studies have reported that CO improves insulin sensitivity and shows hypoglycemic
effect. However, there is no information regarding its effect on chronic diabetic
complications including retinopathy and nephropathy is available. The secondary diabetic
complications are mediated by the activation of polyol pathway, where aldose reductase
(AR) plays crucial role. In this study, in silico analysis has been used to screen
the effect of CO as well as its constituents, MCFAs and phenolic compounds, for targeting
the molecules in polyol pathway. The study revealed that lauric acid (LA) interacts
with AR and DPP-IV of polyol pathway and inhibits the activity of these enzymes. Validation
studies using animal models confirmed the inhibition of AR and SDH in wistar rats.
Further, the LA dose dependently reduced the expression of AR in HCT-15 cells. Together,
the study suggests the possible role of CO, particularly LA in reducing secondary
diabetic complications.
Abbreviations:
CO (Coconut oil), LA (Lauric acid), AR (Aldose reductase), MCFAs (Medium chain fatty acids), ALDR (Aldose reductase), LHD (Lauric acid high dose), LLD (Lauric acid low dose), SDH (Sorbitol dehydrogenase)Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: October 07, 2017
Accepted:
October 7,
2017
Received in revised form:
October 6,
2017
Received:
July 21,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
