Antimicrobial effect of coconut oil on Staphylococcus aureus: an implication of Staphylococcus epidermidis induced fermentation
Issued Date
2022-02-08
Resource Type
eISSN
26007207
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105003407625
Journal Title
Life Sciences, Medicine and Biomedicine
Volume
6
Issue
1
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Life Sciences, Medicine and Biomedicine Vol.6 No.1 (2022)
Suggested Citation
Mahaklan L., Pratuangdejkul J., Satitpatipan V. Antimicrobial effect of coconut oil on Staphylococcus aureus: an implication of Staphylococcus epidermidis induced fermentation. Life Sciences, Medicine and Biomedicine Vol.6 No.1 (2022). doi:10.28916/lsmb.6.1.2022.100 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/109908
Title
Antimicrobial effect of coconut oil on Staphylococcus aureus: an implication of Staphylococcus epidermidis induced fermentation
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Abstract
Staphylococcus epidermidis is a commensal bacterium of human skin. S. epidermidis possesses lipolytic activity to digest skin surface lipids into the smallest unit of fatty acids (FAs). Most FAs hold antimicrobial properties essential for protecting skin from invading microorganisms. In this study, we were interested in virgin coconut oil (VCO), the source of several medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) such as lauric acid and caprylic acid. Those MCFAs products demonstrated remarkable antibacterial activity. Our results showed that crude supernatant from the culture medium of S. epidermidis with VCO fermentation exhibited the growth inhibition effect on Staphylococcus aureus. This bacterium causes a wide range of skin diseases. A co-culture of S. epidermidis and S. aureus in a rich medium with 2.5% (v/v) VCO significantly reduced the growth of S. aureus compared to those without VCO (p-value <0.05). Moreover, time-kill kinetics study showed that the supernatant from the culture medium of S. epidermidis with VCO fermentation showed an efficient antimicrobial activity against S. aureus after 18 hours of incubation. Our results concluded that the culture of S. epidermidis with VCO plausibly induced fermentation of natural lipid sources aiming the production of MCFAs with antibacterial activity, particularly suppression of skin pathogen S. aureus growth. The skin commensal bacterium S. epidermidis might help produce MCFAs from skin products containing VCO and make more benefits for skin infection protection.