Effect of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) on Cardiometabolic Parameters in Patients with Dyslipidemia: A Randomized, Add-on Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVE

Statin monotherapy for dyslipidemia is limited by adverse effects and limited effectiveness in certain subgroups like metabolic syndrome. Add-on therapy with an agent with a known safety profile may improve clinical outcomes, and virgin coconut oil (VCO) may be the candidate agent for improving the cardiometabolic profile. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of add-on VCO with atorvastatin in dyslipidemia in adults.

METHODS

A randomized, double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 150 patients with dyslipidemia who were randomized into control and test groups. The control group received atorvastatin monotherapy, whereas the test group received add-on VCO with atorvastatin for 8 weeks. At baseline, demographic, clinical, and biochemical parameters were assessed and repeated after 8 weeks of therapy. The main outcome measures were lipid profile, cardiovascular risk indices, 10-year cardiovascular risk, body fat compositions, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS).

RESULTS

The increase in HDL in the test group was significantly greater than in the control group (MD: 2.76; 95%CI: 2.43-3.08; p < 0.001). The changes in the atherogenic index (p = 0.003), coronary risk index (p < 0.001), cardiovascular risk index (p = 0.001), and TBARS (p < 0.001) were significantly greater in the test group. The decrease in LDL, total cholesterol and lipoprotein(a), were significantly higher in the control group. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to the changes in triglyceride, VLDL, and 10-year cardiovascular risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Add-on VCO (1000 mg/day) with atorvastatin (10 mg/day) can achieve a better clinical outcome in patients with dyslipidemia by increasing HDL and improving oxidative stress cardiovascular risk indices.

Rapid determination of malondialdehyde in serum samples using a porphyrin-functionalized magnetic graphene oxide electrochemical sensor

An electrochemical sensor based on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with porphyrin-functionalized magnetic graphene oxide (TCPP-MGO) was developed for the sensitive and selective determination of malondialdehyde (MDA), an important biomarker of oxidative damage, in serum samples. The coupling of TCPP with MGO allows the exploitation of the magnetic properties of the material for separation, preconcentration, and manipulation of analyte, which is selectively captured onto the TCPP-MGO surface. The electron-transfer capability in the SPCE was improved through derivatization of MDA with diaminonaphthalene (DAN) (MDA-DAN). TCPP-MGO-SPCEs have been employed to monitor the differential pulse voltammetry (DVP) levels of the whole material, which is related to the amount of the captured analyte. Under optimum conditions, the nanocomposite-based sensing system has proved to be suitable for the monitoring of MDA, presenting a wide linear range (0.01-100 µM) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996. The practical limit of quantification (P-LOQ) of the analyte was 0.010 µM, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 6.87% for 30 µM MDA concentration. Finally, the developed electrochemical sensor has demonstrated to be adequate for bioanalytical applications, presenting an excellent analytical performance for the routine monitoring of MDA in serum samples.

Sensitive determination of malondialdehyde in rat prostate by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

An excellent pre-column fluorescent derivatization reagent N-acetylhydrazine acridone for the quantitative determination of malondialdehyde was synthesized. Malondialdehyde was derivatized at 80 °C for 30 min in the presence of trichloroacetic acid. The separation of the derivative was performed on an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 column in conjunction with gradient elution. The excitation and emission wavelengths were 370 nm and 420 nm, respectively. The developed method demonstrated good linear relationship in the range of 0.02 pmol to 2.5 pmol (r = 0.9998). The calculated limit of detection and limit of quantification were 2.5 fmol and 8.3 fmol, respectively. The analytical precisions of the method were in the range of 1.36-2.27% (intra-day) and 2.36-3.92% (inter-day) respectively. The method was sensitive, specific and simple. It was successfully implemented to analysis the malondialdehyde in rat prostate.

Analysis of malondialdehyde in human plasma samples through derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine by ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction-GC-FID approach

A sensitive and reliable ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) procedure was developed and validated for extraction and analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA) as an important lipids-peroxidation biomarker in human plasma. In this methodology, to achieve an applicable extraction procedure, the whole optimization processes were performed in human plasma. To convert MDA into readily extractable species, it was derivatized to hydrazone structure-base by 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) at 40 °C within 60 min. Influences of experimental variables on the extraction process including type and volume of extraction and disperser solvents, amount of derivatization agent, temperature, pH, ionic strength, sonication and centrifugation times were evaluated. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the enhancement factor and extraction recovery were 79.8 and 95.8%, respectively. The analytical signal linearly (R² = 0.9988) responded over a concentration range of 5.00-4000 ng mL^-1 with a limit of detection of 0.75 ng mL^-1 (S/N = 3) in the plasma sample. To validate the developed procedure, the recommend guidelines of Food and Drug Administration for bioanalytical analysis have been employed.

An ultrasound-assisted ion association dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with micro-volume spectrofluorimetry for chromium speciation

A micro-volume spectrofluorimetric coupled ultrasound-assisted ion association dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (USA-IA-DLLME) procedure for the total determination and speciation of chromium(iii & vi) species has been presented.