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Production of Virgin Coconut Oil Ointment as an Alternative for Antibiotic Medication in

Fight Staphylococcus aureus Infection on External Wounds

(Introduction)

Alcarado, Monnette
Arcega, Angel Joyce G.
Del Rosario, Gia Nicole P.
Ermitanio, Josh Jorell A.
Fernandez, Jenny Rose D.
Hugo, Joevelle Anne A.
Lazarra, Jecel B.

SUBMITTED TO THE
PERPETUAL HELP COLLEGE OF MANILA
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BASIC EDUCATION
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS

(STEM) STRAND

FEBRUARY 2021
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

INTRODUCTION

These past few years, there are several cases about new strains of bacteria that can resist

the effects of antibiotics. Antibiotics are the medication given to an organism to fight an

infection that was caused by the bacteria. Resistance is the case where the bacteria are

developing and evolving to the point that it can survive from the antibiotics or the medication

that supposedly eliminates them. This usually happens because of the frequent usage of the

antibiotic; these bacteria are able to develop a survival mechanism because of the constant

exposure to the medication. This will lead to a higher medical cost since the medical field will

need to develop a new and much stronger antibiotic to inhibit the growth of the bacteria

(Department of Health & Human Services, 2015; Center for Disease Control and Prevention,

2020; World Health Organization, 2020). Hence, the researchers are looking for a new substance

that can be used as an alternative to antibiotics. An alternative that has the ability to inhibit the

growth of infection and new strain of bacteria antibiotic-resistant. The researchers discovered

that there is a substance that has the potential to kill the bacteria causing infection, and that is the

Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO).

For years, people have used virgin coconut oil for different reasons, there are a lot of

things that Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) can do such as making the hair healthy and smooth,

fighting infection, smoothens the skin and many more. Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) has

antibacterial properties that can help fight infections such as Staphylococcus aureus and more,

(Spritzler, 2019). The researchers thoroughly studied related articles and literature and have
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

gathered more information about Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) and other things it can do. The

researchers found that it could fight infections even the most dangerous type of infection like

Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus has an inadequate response to various antibiotic therapy, reflected

a severe problem in the world, (Widianingrum et al, 2019). Staphylococcus aureus is the most

dangerous type of Staphylococcal bacteria. It is commonly found on the skin and mucous

membranes of animals and humans, is involved in a wide variety of infections (Loir et al, 2003),

but can also cause pneumonia, heart valve infections, and bone infections, (Taylor & Unakal,

2020). Since the researchers have learned from the other studies about the potential of Virgin

Coconut Oil (VCO) in fighting infections, this study will now focus on the effectiveness of this

substance in fighting these certain bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus.

Virgin Coconut Oil

         Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is known as the oil that comes from the Coconut Tree that

belongs to the family of Palm Tree. Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is an oil that is pure and does not

undergo any process. It comes from the coconut meat and extracted naturally like “dry-

processing, fermentation, churning, cold-pressing, and wet-milling” (Nagdeve, 2020). This

means that the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) did not undergo any extraction procedure that will

make some of its properties to be removed. That is the reason why this oil has been popular to

everyone, because of the purity of the substance, the nutrition and other properties it has is still

intact to the oil itself. Hence, it provides several health and nutritional benefits to everyone.
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

Making it more recommendable by people compared to the Refined Coconut Oil (Netmeds,

2019).  These health benefits from the Virgin Coconut Oil are: it contains good fatty acids, it can

boost heart health, it can reduce seizures since studies have also revealed that Virgin Coconut Oil

(VCO) is one of the diets given to the children who are diagnosed with epilepsy, can protect the

hair, skin, and teeth, and it also has an antimicrobial ability that comes from its fatty acid

components (Gunnars, 2020).

         In connection with the nutritional benefits of the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO), there is a

study called “Antimicrobial effects of virgin coconut oil and its medium-chain fatty acids on

Clostridium difficile” that stated that the fatty acid components of the oil have benefits in

fighting infections too. The study has shown that Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) has a medium-chain

fatty acid (MCFA) property that contains different fatty acids like lauric acid (LA) (C12), capric

acid (C10), and caprylic acid (C8). According to this study, these components of Virgin Coconut

Oil (VCO) are the one responsible and has an ability to inhibit the growth of Clostridium

difficile, the gram-positive bacteria from phylum Firmicutes that usually cause diarrhea and can

lead to severe inflammation of the colon (Vedantam, 2012; Shilling et. al., 2013).

Staphylococcus aureus

         In relation to the antimicrobial and antibacterial activity of the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO)

that was explained by other literatures, this study focuses on investigating the effectivity and

efficiency of using Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) as an alternative to antibiotic in inhibiting the
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

growth of bacterial infection, the Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-

positive, it customizes as a round-shaped bacteria that is a phylum of Firmicutes. Staphylococcus

aureus is a type of germs that people carry on their skin. It is also commonly found in the

respiratory tract, like nasal area, and on the skin. The main cause of this infection or growth of

bacteria is direct contact with an infected person, by consuming a stained object, by inhaling

contaminated droplets allotted by a person sneezing or coughing. It can also be transmitted by

skin infections but only in the bloodstream and infected distant organs where the bacteria are

spreading (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011; Bush, 2019).

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most dangerous bacteria among the group of

staphylococcal bacteria. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), the

Staphylococcus aureus infections can be serious that it may lead to developing Bacteremia or

Sepsis (bacteria spread to the bloodstream), Pneumonia (lung disease due to the infection caught

by the lung sac), Endocarditis (infection in the heart valves) and Osteomyelitis (bone infection).

This infection can be also a great risk to the people that are diagnosed with chronic conditions

particularly Diabetes, Cancer, Vascular disease, Eczema, Lung disease and people who inject

drugs or have undergone procedures because it can weaken the immune system of the patient.

There are also cases that these bacteria have developed a new strain that can resist the effects of

antibiotics making it harder to eliminate. This new strain is called Methicillin-resistant

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), strain that is resistant to many antibiotics like methicillin,

nafcillin, oxacillin, and cephalosporins (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011; Bush,

2019; Taylor & Unakal, 2020; WebMD, 2020).

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1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

Effectiveness of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) Against Staphylococcus aureus

With the reference to the two previously discussed topics: the properties of Virgin

Coconut Oil (VCO) that has an ability to fight bacteria and the harm caused Staphylococcus

aureus infection, this part will now focus on discussing the gathered information from the related

studies about the effectiveness of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) in inhibiting Staphylococcus

aureus. Several related studies have done experimentations and investigations about the

effectivity of using Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) against Staphylococcus aureus. One particular

study done by Fauzi et. al. (2012), they used mice as their test subjects to investigate the

effectivity of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) in inhibiting the Staphylococcus aureus. There are

twenty-five (25) female Swiss strain mice that are at least four (4) weeks old and weigh about

twenty-three grams (23g). The mice were divided into five (5) groups randomly. The researchers

have infected the mice with Staphylococcus aureus. After these, some group of these infected

mice were given the medication which is the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO). After several weeks,

the mice underwent necropsy for the researchers to learn more about the effectivity of

medication against the bacteria. The liver and lungs of group II and III of mice were

investigated; while in group IV and V of mice, the skin was investigated. The results they found

after the dissection is that the Staphylococcus aureus cause infiltration and necrosis to the cell of

liver, lungs, and skin. The researchers also discovered from the mice who were infected by
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

Staphylococcus aureus and then given Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) as a medication that it has an

ability to restore the damage that Staphylococcus aureus has caused to the liver, lungs, and skin

cells of these mice (Fauzi et. al., 2012).

A study entitled “Virgin Coconut Oil and Its Antimicrobial Properties against Pathogenic

Microorganisms: A Review”, stated that the monolaurin property of the Virgin Coconut Oil

(VCO) has a potential not only in antimicrobial activity, but also in antifungal and antiviral

activities. The usage of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) as an additional flavor in foods has been also

mentioned to be very helpful. The medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), lauric acid (LA) in Virgin

Coconut Oil (VCO) is very effective as an antimicrobial even when added into the food. The role

of these fatty acids in Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is essential in fighting against and inhibiting

the growth of different bacteria. In addition to this, the study stated that the medium-chain fatty

acids (MCFA) in Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is mostly effective in inhibiting the gram-positive

bacteria. This leads back to this study; the effectiveness of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) against

Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive type of bacteria (Sizar, 2020),

which means there are studies that prove that the medium-chain fatty acids help in inhibiting

these particular bacteria. An additional statement from the study of “Virgin Coconut Oil and Its

Antimicrobial Properties against Pathogenic Microorganisms: A Review”, the lauric acid (LA)

property found in the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) has a potential in antibacterial activity and was

specifically found very successful in fight against the Staphylococcus aureus (Nasir et. al.,

2017).
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

A study that was investigating the antimicrobial activity of the Virgin Coconut Oil

(VCO) against the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. This study found that the lauric acid (LA)

(C12) properties found in the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO). The researchers investigated the

fighting mechanism of the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) against Staphylococcus aureus. They

discovered that the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) enhances the ability of macrophage cells to

phagocyte the Staphylococcus aureus. This study has come up with the conclusion after

observing the inhibiting activity of the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) using scanning electron

microscopy (SEM), that the Virgin Coconut Oil can inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus

by damaging the cell membrane or cell wall of the bacteria and enhancing the ability of the

fighting cells to phagocyte the Staphylococcus aureus infection. Another study has proved this

type of fighting mechanism of the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO), the medium-chain fatty acids

(MCFA) like lauric acid (LA) and capric acid has an ability to fight against bacteria and fungi by

destructing the cell membrane of these bacteria or fungi that will eventually will lead to the death

of the bacteria or fungi. A study investigating the antimicrobial activity of the Virgin Coconut

Oil (VCO) and its medium-chain fatty acids components against Clostridium difficile, has

discovered that the fight mechanism of the active fatty acids like lauric acid (LA) (C12), capric

acid (C10), and caprylic acid (C8) continuously damage or disrupt the cell membrane of

Clostridium difficile until the cell dies. This mechanism of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is not only

applicable for fighting the mentioned bacteria, but as well as other known bacteria that are

curable by antibiotic medication (Shilling et. al., 2013; Elmore et. al., 2014; Widianingrum et.

al., 2019).
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

In terms of safety in using Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) as a supplement or medication, a

study conducted an experiment where a population that contains thirty-five (35) Thai

participants, aged eighteen (18) to twenty-five (25), have been divided into two (2) groups. The

group of participants who took fifteen milliliters (15mL) of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) twice a

day for eight (8) weeks, have shown a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol

or also known as the “good cholesterol”. In their result, it is stated that there is no difference in

terms of the change in cholesterol level in the body between the participants who took the fifteen

milliliters (15mL) of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) twice a day and the control group participants

who took fifteen milliliters (15mL) of two percent (2%) carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) solution

everyday for eight (8) weeks. Some reports from the participants are that they experienced mild

diarrhea while taking the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO), but other than that there are no dangerous

cases that have happened to the participants. The researchers come up to the conclusion that

intake of fifteen milliliters (15mL) of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) twice a day for the adults have

benefits to their health (Chinwong et. al., 2017).  

Capstone Project – Virgin Coconut Oil Ointment

Human skin is permanently vulnerable to environmental hazards and the potential harm

of various types of lesions such as burns, boils, and other injuries such as wounds. Wound

healing is a complex biological event and is influenced by extrinsic and intrinsic factors that can

cause complications. With the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) that contains antiseptic agents and
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

nutrients such as Vitamin E. Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is rich in the role of vitamin E in the

mechanism of cell retention in cell organs, significantly increasing the activity of antioxidant

enzymes, fibroblast proliferation, and neovascularization. Virgin Coconut Oil also contains acids

such as lauric acid, monolaurin, and lactic acid known as the antimicrobial agents. The effects of

lauric acid with lactic acid and monolaurin with lactic acid combinations produced a bactericidal

effect (Tangwatcharin & Khopaibool, 2012; Andriana et al., 2020; Joshi et al., 2020).

This capstone project will mainly focus on creating a formula for an ointment that is a

Virgin Coconut Oil based. The plan for the capstone project is to thoroughly study from the

related literatures about how effective and safe to apply the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) directly

to the bacteria, in order to create a product that will be used as an alternative medication for the

Staphylococcus aureus infection on external wounds. The production of the new medication will

be used as an inhibition of the infections that are found on an external wound to prevent people

from taking antibiotics, since continuous intake can lead to more cases of antibiotic-resistant

bacteria.  The researchers will apply the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) ointment to the wound that

has been contaminated with the Staphylococcus aureus and aims to investigate if the formula of

Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) ointment can eliminate or effective against Staphylococcus aureus

infection.

The objective of this project is to create a new medication that can be used as an

alternative to antibiotics and effective against bacteria at the same time. This project aims to
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

prevent more cases of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, since these cases are very alarming to

everyone. The production of the ointment aims to fight the bacteria without the sage of any

antibiotic medication. This study will limit its scope by only focusing on the substance, Virgin

Coconut Oil (VCO) against specific bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus that can be found on

external or open wounds only. Setting these limits will help the researchers of this study to

thoroughly investigate and study the results of the effectiveness and efficiency of Virgin Coconut

Oil (VCO) ointment.

This conduction of this project has its own significance, because the results that the

researchers can acquire from this study can help millions of people. This production of ointment

medication can help to develop and make contributions to the medical field. The beneficiary of

the product of this project are the whole medical field and the people who need this new and

improved formula that can fight and prevent the development of new strains of the bacteria.

Hence, the researchers ensure that this project will be feasible since it has a lot of beneficiaries

once it was produced successfully.

 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

References:

 Andriana, N., Lister, N., Fachrial, E., Ginting, C., & Lie, S. (2020). Effectiveness Test of
Wound Healing based Virgin Coconut Oil toward Commercial Products on Rabbits.
Retrieved from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9166656

 Bush, L. M. (2019, June). Staphylococcus aureus Infections - Infections. Retrieved from

https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/infections/bacterial-infections-gram-positive-
bacteria/staphylococcus-aureus-infections

 Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, March 13). About Antibiotic
Resistance. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about.html

 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, January 17). Staphylococcus aureus
in Healthcare Settings. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/staph.html

 Chinwong, D., & Mangklabruks, A. (2017, December 14). Daily Consumption of Virgin
Coconut Oil Increases High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in Healthy
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 Clark, A., Chu, M., McQuade, R., Mallozzi, M., & Viswanathan, V. K. (2012, March
01). Clostridium difficile infection: Toxins and non-toxin virulence factors, and their
 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

contributions to disease establishment and host response. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3370945/

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%20least%20some%20antibiotics.

 Elmore, L. K., & Nance, G. (n.d.). Treatment of Dermal Infections With Topical Coconut
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%20constituents,membranes%2C%20leading%20to%20cell%20death.

 Elmore, L. K., Nance, G., Singleton, S., & Lorenz, L. (2014, May). Treatment of Dermal
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 Fauzi, A., Setiawan, I., & Ariyanti, F. (2012, February). (PDF) The effect of Virgin
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_VCO_on_Staphylococcus_aureus_infection_in_mice_Mus_musculus_observed_from_d
ifferent_organ_histopathology

 Gunnars, K. (2020, February 12). Top 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Coconut

Oil. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-
benefits-of-coconut-oil

 Jalaludin, A., Shahdan, I., & Manan, W. (2018, February 01). Virgin Coconut Oil and Its
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 Joshi, S., Kaushik, V., Gode, V., & Mhaskar, S. (2020, July). Coconut Oil and Immunity:
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 Perpetual Help College of Manila
1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

 Mayo Clinic. (2020, January 04). C. difficile infection. Retrieved from

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nutrition-and-health-benefits

 Shilling, M., Matt, L., Rubin, E., Visitacion, M., Haller, N. A., Grey, S. F., &
Woolverton, C. J. (2013, December 16). Antimicrobial effects of virgin coconut oil and
its medium-chain fatty acids on Clostridium difficile. Retrieved from
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 Sizar, O., & Unakal, C. G. (2020, July 20). Gram Positive Bacteria. Retrieved from
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 Spritzler, F. (2019, January 16). 29 Clever Uses for Coconut Oil. Retrieved from
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-oil-uses

 Tangwatcharin, P., & Khopaibool, P. (2012, July). Activity of virgin coconut oil, lauric
acid or monolaurin in combination with lactic acid against Staphylococcus aureus.
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 Taylor, T. (2020, August 23). Staphylococcus Aureus. Retrieved from

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 WebMD. (2020, April 02). Pneumonia: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and
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basics

 Widianingrum, D., Noviandi, C., & Salasia, S. (2019, October 20). Antibacterial and
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 World Health Organization. (2020, July 31). Antibiotic resistance. Retrieved from
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1240 V. Conception St. Sampaloc, Manila
BASIC EDUCATION – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – JONELTA

 Staphylococcus aureus and food poisoning (2003, February) Retrieved from

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ning

 Antibacterial and immunomodulator activities of virgin coconut oil (VCO)

against Staphylococcus aureus Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844019362723