Virgin Coconut Oil Compared to Corn Oil in World Health Organization Formula on Glutathione, TNF-Alpha, and Body Weight Gain in Severe Malnourished Wistar Rat

Background: Severe malnutrition remains a major killer of children under five years old. On such condition, there is a lack of antioxidants, an increase in free radical agents and pro-inflammatory cytokine. They prolong a hyper catabolic state, hindering an increase in weight. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) contains medium chain triglyceride and antioxidants. It is expected to solve that problem compared to corn oil. There has been no published study about VCO usage for severe malnutrition. Objective: The aim of this study was to find out the influence of VCO compared to corn oil for severe malnutrition treatment in GSH level, TNF-? level, and weight gain. Methods: It was a laboratory experiment study, using a randomized post-test control group design, to compare the treatment effect of the VCO vs corn oil in Formula 75 and Formula 100 in the treatment of severe malnourished rat. Severe malnourished rats were divided randomly into 2 groups. One group was given F75 and F100 with VCO content (Group A) and another group was given F75 and F100 with corn oil content (group B). Both groups were treated for 28 days. Results: There were 19 rats in each group. One rat from group B died before the study ended. An analysis was done for the last 37 rats. There was no significant difference in the mean of weight gain, 73.45 g (SD 20.08) and 68.97 g (SD 11.49) for group A and B respectively (p=0.41). There was no significant difference in the GSH levels (p=0.70), where group A is 1.35 pg/g (SD (0.74) and group B 1.27 pg/g (SD 0.48). TNF-? level in group A (1087.2 pg/g (320.00- 2525.46)) was higher than group B (711.32 pg/g (403.19-2400.91)) but not statistically significant (p=0.08). Conclusion: There is no significant difference in GSH and TNF-? level in the liver and body weight gain for VCO and corn oil groups. Virgin coconut oil can be one of the alternative vegetable oils that can be utilized in treating severe malnourishment.