Virgin coconut oil prevents airway remodeling and recovers tracheal relaxing reactivity by reducing transforming growth factor β expression on asthmatic guinea pig

This manuscript describes the mechanism by which supplementation with virgin coconut oil prevents the reduction of the relaxant reactivity of the trachea of guinea pigs with chronic allergic lung inflammation. • Virgin coconut oil (VCO) improves impaired relaxation by asthma in rats. • VCO promotes formation of relaxing prostanoids or leukotrienes decrease. • VCO prevents negative modulation of β receptors/BKCa pathway by TGF-β. • VCO is a candidate for alternative therapy against allergic asthma. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease with many patients failing to respond appropriately to pharmacotherapy. Thus, virgin coconut oil (VCO) can be an alternative therapy. Guinea pigs were divided into control (Ctrl), chronic allergic lung inflammation (Asth), Asth treated with dexamethasone (Asth + dexa), and Asth supplemented with VCO (Asth + VCO4). The tested animals were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Relaxation induced by arachidonic acid (AA) was impaired in Asth, and this reduction was prevented by VCO (p = 0.0004), indicating formation of relaxing prostanoids, or the decrease of cysteinyl-leukotrienes by VCO. Furthermore, a possible negative modulation of β receptors/BK Ca pathway by TGF–β in Asth was prevented by VCO (p = 0.0073). Finally, in Asth, Masson’s trichrome staining revealed airway remodeling and immunohistochemistry showed increased TGF-β expression in the lungs of Asth (p < 0.0001)), which was prevented by VCO and dexamethasone (p < 0.0001), concluding VCO as a possible agent against asthma.