Med-Chem Labs, Inc. - Technical Information






Technical information on Lauricidin® (monolaurin) for the
Health Professional

The antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal properties of
lauric acid and monolaurin have been recognized for nearly three decades by only
a small number of researchers: their work, however, has resulted in 50 or more
research papers an numerous U.S. and foreign patents. Prof. Dr. Jon J. Kabara
performed the original seminal research in this area of fat research. Kabara
(1968) first patented certain fatty acids (FAs) and their derivatives (e.g.,
monoglycerides (MGs) can have adverse effects on various microorganisms. While
nontoxic and approved as a direct food additive by the FDA, monolaurin adversely
affects bacteria, yeast, fungi, and enveloped viruses.

Kabara found that the properties that determine the
anti-infective action of lipids are related to their structure: e.g., free fatty
acids & monoglycerides. The monoglycerides are active; diglycerides and
triglycerides are inactive. Of the saturated fatty acids, lauric acid has
greater antiviral activity than either caprylic acid (C-8), capric acid (C-10),
or myristic acid (C-14).

Fatty acids and monoglycerides produce their
killing/inactivating effects by several mechanisms. An early postulated
mechanism was the perturbing of the plasma membrane lipid bilayer. The antiviral
action attributed to monolaurin is that of fluidizing the lipids and
phospholipids in the envelope of the virus, causing the disintegration of the
microbial membrane. More recent studies indicate that one antimicrobial effect
in bacteria is related to monolaurin's interference with signal
transduction/toxin formation (Projan et al 1994). Another antimicrobial effect
in viruses is due to lauric acid's interference with virus assembly and viral
maturation (Hornung et al 1994). The third mode of action may be on the immune
system itself (Witcher et al, 1993).

Hierholzer and Kabara (1982) first reported the antiviral
activity of the monoglyceride of lauric acid (monolaurin) on viruses that affect
humans.. They showed virucidal effects of monolaurin on enveloped RNA and DNA
viruses. This work was done at the Center for Disease Control of the U.S. Public
Health Service. This study was carried out using selected virus prototypes or
recognized representative strains of enveloped human viruses. All these viruses
have a lipid membrane. The presence of a lipid membrane on viruses makes them
especially vulnerable to lauric acid and its derivative monolaurin. These
initial findings have been confirmed by many other studies.

Research has shown that enveloped viruses are inactivated by
added fatty acids and monoglycerides in both human and bovine milk (Isaacs et al
199 1). Others (Isaacs et al 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992; Thormar et al 1987) have
confirmed Kabara's original statements concerning the effectiveness of
monolaurin.

Some of the viruses inactivated by these lipids are the
measles virus, herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and -2), herpes family members (HIV,
hepatitis C, vesicular, stomatitis virus (VSV), visna virus, and cytomegalovirus
(CMV). Many of the pathogenic organisms reported to be inactivated by these
antimicrobial lipids are those know to be responsible for opportunistic
infections in HIV -positive individuals. For example, concurrent infection with
cytomegalovirus is recognized as a serious complication for HIV positive
individuals (Macallan et al 1993).

Thus, it would appear imperative to investigate the practical
aspects and the potential benefit of a nutritional supplement such as monolaurin
(Lauricidin®) for microbial infected individuals. Until now few nutritionists in
mainstream nutrition community seem to have recognized the added benefit of
antimicrobial lipids in the support of infected patients. These antimicrobial
fatty acids and their derivatives are essentially nontoxic to man. According to
the published research, lauric acid is one of the best "inactivating" fatty
acids, and its monoglyceride is even more effective than the fatty acid alone
(Kabara 1978, Sands et al 1978, Fletcher et al 1985, Kabara 1985).

It should be emphasized that lauric acid cannot be taken
orally because it is severally irritating. Lauricidin® on the other hand, a
derivative of lauric acid chemically bonded to glycerol to form monolaurin, can
be taken orally without any problem.

The lipid-coated (envelope) viruses, bacteria and other
microorganisms are dependent on host lipids for their lipid constituents. The
variability of fatty acids in the foods of individuals as well as the
variability from de novo synthesis accounts for the variability of fatty acids
in their membranes.

Monolaurin does not appear to have an adverse effect on
desirable gut bacteria, but rather on only potentially pathogenic
microorganisms. For example, Isaacs et al (1991) reported no inactivation of the
common Esherichiacoli or Salmonella enteritidis by monolaurin, but major
inactivation of Hemophilus influenza, Staphylococcus epidermis and Group B gram
positive streptococcus.

The potentially pathogenic bacteria inactivated by monolaurin
include Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae,
Groups A, streptococci-gram-positive organisms, and some gram-negative organisms
(Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Helicobacter pylori).

Decreased growth of Staphylococcus aureus and decreased
production of toxic shock syndrome toxin-l was shown with monolaurin (Holland et
al 1994). Monolaurin was 5000 times more inhibitory against Listeria
monocytogenes than ethanol (Oh & Marshall 1993). In vitro monolaurin rapidly
inactivate Helicobacter pylori. Of greater significance there appears to be very
little development of resistance of the organism to the bactericidal effects
(Petschow et al 1996) of these natural antimicrobials.

A number of fungi, yeast, and protozoa are also inactivated or
killed by monolaurin. The fungi include several species of ringworm (Isaacs et
al 1991). The yeast reported to be affected is Candida albicans (Isaacs et al
1991) The protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia is killed by monoglycerides from
hydrolyzed human milk (Hemell et al 1986, Reiner et al 1986, Crouch et al 1991,
Isaacs et al 1991).

Chlamydia trachomatis is inactivated by monolaurin (Bergsson
et al 1998). Hydrogels containing monocaprin/monolaurin are potent in vitro
inactivators of sexually transmitted viruses such as HSV-2 and HIV-1 and
bacteria such as Neisserian gonorrhea (Thormar 1999).

References can be found (here).

For more details, go to (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) on the
internet and search the above references.



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