Monolaurin and HPV / Genital Warts

Disclaimer: The research below is offered for information and educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. See Terms & Conditions

Monolaurin &

Genital Warts

The best treatment for fighting an HPV infection (which can cause genital warts) is a strong immune system. There are many ways to strengthen your immune system, including a healthy diet, plenty of rest, and potentially nutritional supplements.

Monolaurin Research

Monolaurin is a natural supplement made from coconut or palm oil. Monolaurin has been tested in laboratory settings exploring its potential to inactivate certain pathogens in vitro. Some interesting excerpts from these studies which test potential antimicrobial effects state:

“Monolaurin, a monoester formed from lauric acid (mediumchain fatty acids), has profound antiviral and antibacterial activity. Monolaurin has Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status and is considered to be nontoxic. It is effective against many microorganisms and can be taken on a daily basis, given that evidence suggests it does not create antiviral or antibacterial resistance.” (Ref #1)

“When the fatty acids and monoglycerides were further compared at lower concentrations and with shorter exposure times, lauric acid was more active than capric acid and monocaprin was the most active, causing a greater than 100, 000-fold (>5-log10) inactivation of C. trachomatis at a concentration of 5 mM for 5 min. The high levels of activity of capric and lauric acids and particularly that of monocaprin are notable and suggest that these lipids have specific antichlamydial effects.” (Ref #2)

“Antimicrobial lipids can disrupt cell membranes and therefore lyse leukocytes which potentially carry virus. Genital mucosal epithelial cells should be protected from damage by the mucous layer. Preliminary studies indicate that lipids decrease sperm motility and viability suggesting that lipids may potentially be used as combination spermicidal and virucidal agents.” (Ref #3)

Monolaurin studies suggest the substance is able to break down the lipid layer of enveloped viruses in laboratory settings. [Ref #4, 8, 9]

“Monoglycerides of these fatty acids were also highly antiviral, in some instances at a concentration 10 times lower than that of the free fatty acids. Antiviral fatty acids were found to affect the viral envelope, causing leakage and at higher concentrations, a complete disintegration of the envelope and the viral particles. They also caused disintegration of the plasma membranes of tissue culture cells resulting in cell lysis and death.” (Ref #4)

“1-Monoglycerides and ethers of medium-chain fatty acids were more antiviral than the corresponding free fatty acids. Antiviral fatty acids were found to affect the viral envelope, causing leakage and, at higher concentrations, a complete disintegration of the envelope and the viral particles. Lipids commonly found in natural products could possibly be used as antiviral agents against enveloped viruses.” (Ref #8)

“Monolaurin alone and monolaurin with tert‐butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), methylparaben, or sorbic acid were tested for in vitro virucidal activity against 14 human RNA and DNA enveloped viruses in cell culture. At concentrations of 1% additive in the reaction mixture for 1 h at 23°C, all viruses were reduced in infectivity by >99.9%. Monolaurin with BHA was the most effective virucidal agent in that it removed all measurable infectivity from all of the viruses tested. The compounds acted similarly on all the viruses and reduced infectivity by disintegrating the virus envelope.” (Ref #9)

While the above research is very interesting, more testing is needed to establish if monolaurin can provide any benefits in human subjects. The research excerpts are provided for information only, and are not meant to act as medical advise.

Supporting Immune Health

The best way to address an HPV infection is a healthy and natural immune response. A combination of lifestyle changes and potentially some dietary supplements may provide your body the support it needs.

There are a variety of immune-focused dietary supplements available. Consider some of the observations offered in the Monolaurin Buying Guide if you have questions.

As any natural treatment, it is safest and most effective when done under the supervision of a health care professional .

References:

1. Lieberman S, Enig MG, Preuss HG. A Review of Monolaurin and Lauric Acid Natural Virucidal and Bactericidal Agents. Alternative & Complimentary Therapies, December 2006. 12(6): 310-314.

2. Bergsson G, Arnfinnsson H, Karlsson SM, Steingrímsson O, Thormar H. In Vitro Inactivation of Chlamydia trachomatis by Fatty Acids and Monoglycerides. American Society for Microbiology 9 February 1998

3. Isaacs CE, Kim KS, Thormar H. Inactivation of enveloped viruses in human bodily fluids by purified lipids. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1994 Jun 6;724:457-64.

4. Sands J, Auperin D, Snipes W. Extreme sensitivity of enveloped viruses, including Herpes Simplex, to long chain unsaturated monoglycerides and alcohols. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 15; 1:67-73, 1979.

5. Thormar H, Isaacs CE, Brown HR, Barshatzky MR, Pessolano T. Inactivation of enveloped viruses and killing of cells by fatty acids and monoglycerides. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 1987 Jan;31(1):27-31.

6. "Arora R, Chawla R, Marwah R, Arora P, Sharma RK, Kaushik V, Goel R, Kaur A, Silambarasan M, Tripathi RP, Bharwaj JR. Potential of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Preventive Management of NovelH1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Pandemic: Thwarting Potential Disasters in the Bud. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 586506, 16 pages

7. Isaacs CE, Thormar H. Membrane-disruptive effect of human milk: inactivation of enveloped viruses. Journal of Infectious Diseases 1986; 154:966-971

8. Thormar H, Isaacs CE, Kim KS, Brown HR. Inactivation of visna virus and other enveloped viruses by free fatty acids and monoglycerides. Annals of the New York Academy of Science. 1994 June 6, 724:465–471.

9. Hierholzer, J.C. and Kabara, J.J. In Vitro Effects of Monolaurin Compounds on Enveloped RNA and DNA Viruses. Journal of Food Safety 4:1-12 (1982)