Monolaurin, Acne & Eczema
Monolaurin Research
Acne and Eczema
Intro to Monolaurin and Lauric Acid
Monolaurin is a medium-chain fatty acid that is formed from lauric acid. It occurs naturally in coconut oil and mother’s breast milk but can also be taken as a dietary supplement. Studies suggest monolaurin may exhibit numerous health benefits, including for certain skin conditions such as acne and eczema. [Ref #1]
Monolaurin and
Acne
Intro to Acne
Acne vulgaris, affecting up to 80% of people, is the single most common skin disorder. It results from an overgrowth of a Gram-positive bacterium called propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes). This leads to the symptoms of acne that can appear as pustules, cysts, or inflammatory lesions. Some studies have explored the therapeutic potential of monolaurin in relation to acne with some promising results. [Ref #2]
Monolaurin Research and Acne
In one study, scientists observed the antimicrobial capabilities of lauric acid (the source of monolaurin) against Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the bacteria responsible for creating acne. They compared their results against benzoyl peroxide, a common acne treatment. They concluded that not only did lauric acid effectively reduce acne-induced swelling and inflammation, but it also had significantly stronger antimicrobial properties than benzoyl peroxide.
“Incubation of the skin bacteria P. acnes, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) with lauric acid yielded minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against the bacterial growth over 15 times lower than those of benzoyl peroxide (BPO). The lower MIC values of lauric acid indicate stronger antimicrobial properties than that of BPO. The detected values of half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of lauric acid on P. acnes, S. aureus, and S. epidermidis growth indicate that P. acnes is the most sensitive to lauric acid among these bacteria. In addition, lauric acid did not induce cytotoxicity to human sebocytes. Notably, both intradermal injection and epicutaneous application of lauric acid effectively decreased the number of P. acnes colonized with mouse ears, thereby relieving P. acnes-induced ear swelling and granulomatous inflammation. The obtained data highlight the potential of using lauric acid as an alternative treatment for antibiotic therapy of acne vulgaris.” [Ref #2]
A second study had similar results. It found that at a certain concentration level lauric acid could kill over 99.9% of P. acnes bacteria. Nearly five times less lauric acid than benzoyl peroxide was needed to kill the same number of P. acnes bacterium.
“The minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) of Lauric Acid (LA)-loaded micelles were compared with those of free LA to evaluate the effect of LA on the inhibition of P. acnes growth. As shown in Figure 6, the lowest concentration to prevent bacterial growth in free LA was 20 μg/mL, which was lower than that of BPO (100 μg/mL). The same value of MIC was found for both MC20LA and MC50LA. This result proved that LA is a promising antibacterial to inhibit the growth of P. acnes….P. acnes were diluted with PBS and spotted on Noble agar plates after incubation to determine the CFUs. It has been found that when the concentration of free LA was higher than 80 μg/mL (Figure 7a), over 99.9% of P. acnes were killed. This value was the same as previous studies. The MBCs of MC20LA, MC50LA, and MC100LA were all 40 μg/mL (Figure 7b), which revealed that LA-loaded micelles produce many potent bactericidal effects than does free LA on P. acnes.” [Ref #3]
Another study compared the antimicrobial effects of lauric acid and capric acid on P. acnes. The study found that while both fatty acids exhibited bactericidal effects, lauric acid was the more potent antimicrobial agent. Additionally, this study found that the both acids demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects against P. acnes as well.
“Lauric acid had stronger antimicrobial activity against P. acnes than capric acid in vitro and in vivo. However, both fatty acids attenuated P. acnes-induced ear swelling in mice along with micro abscess and significantly reduced interleukin (IL)-6 and CXCL8 (also known as IL-8) production in P. acnes-stimulated SZ95 sebocytes. P. acnes-induced mRNA levels and secretion of IL-8 and TNF-α in THP-1 cells were suppressed by both fatty acids, which inhibited NF-κB activation and the phosphorylation of MAP kinases…Our data demonstrate that both capric acid and lauric acid exert bactericidal and anti-inflammatory activities against P. acnes. The anti-inflammatory effect may partially occur through the inhibition of NF-κB activation and the phosphorylation of MAP kinases.” [Ref #4]
Yet another experiment working on a delivery method for lauric acid found that lauric acid in liposomal form could actually enter the cell membrane and kill the bacteria effectively. Lauric acid once again demonstrated its potential as an agent against acne.
“It was demonstrated that the antimicrobial activity of lauric acid (LA) was not only well maintained in its liposomal derivatives but also enhanced at low LA concentration. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of LA-loaded liposomes (LipoLA) mainly depended on the LA loading concentration per single liposomes. Further study found that the LipoLA could fuse with the membranes of P. acnes and release the carried LA directly into the bacterial membranes, thereby killing the bacteria effectively. Since LA is a natural compound that is the main acid in coconut oil and also resides in human breast milk and liposomes have been successfully and widely applied as a drug delivery vehicle in the clinic, the LipoLA developed in this work holds great potential of becoming an innate, safe and effective therapeutic medication for acne vulgaris and other P. acnes associated diseases.” [Ref #5]
Monolaurin and
Eczema
Intro to Eczema
Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is a skin disease that is becoming increasingly prevalent among children and adults. Eczema is characterized by extreme itchiness, or pruritis, lesions, and dry or flaky skin. The inflammatory disease creates conditions making the skin more susceptible to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections that introduce more complications. Studies have found that lauric acid, the fatty acid which forms the monoglyceride, monolaurin, could be effective as a skin moisturizer and potentially an antibacterial agent against S. aureus infection. [Ref #6]
Monolaurin Research and Eczema
One such study observed the effects of virgin coconut oil on Staphylococcus Aureus. Virgin coconut oil is a natural source of monolaurin. The experiment, conducted on twenty-six subjects, found that coconut oil had moisturizing effects and that the lauric acid helped to defeat outbreaks of Staphyloccus aureus colonies thereby preventing further infection and skin damage. The study compared the effects of virgin coconut oil with those of virgin olive oil and the virgin coconut oil the more effective of the two.
“Twenty-six subjects each received VCO [virgin coconut oil] or VOO [virgin olive oil]. Of those on VCO, 20 were positive for Staphylococcus aureus (SA) colonies at baseline versus 12 on VOO. Post intervention, only 1 (5%) VCO subject remained positive versus 6 (50%) of those on VOO. Relative risk for VCO was 0.10, significantly superior to that for VOO (10:1, p = .0028; 95% CI, 0.01-0.73); …VCO and monolaurin's objective-SCORAD severity index (O-SSI) reduction and in vitro broad-spectrum activity against SA (given clinical validity here), fungi, and viruses may be useful in the proactive treatment of AD colonization.” [Ref #7]
Exploring different therapeutic angle, a literature review delved into the importance of moisturizers and the different types and uses. Emollients work by filling cracks in dry skin with small droplets of oil. Experiments with lauric acid have proven that it is an effective emollient.
“The word ‘emollients’ is usually used as a synonym for moisturizers. In fact, emollients are substances having the ability to instill small droplets of oil into the cracks between desquamating corneocytes in dry skin and consequently to improve the appearance of the skin in terms of softness, flexibility and smoothness. They also help prevent the wash out of humectant when in contact with water. Emollients are oily substances, including stearic, linoleic, linolenic, oleic and lauric acids from palm oil, coconut oil and wool fat. Emollients are added to topical products primarily for consumer satisfaction, not for the reduction of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). However, some emollients also have moisturizing properties.” [Ref #8]
Conclusion
Acne and eczema have become increasingly prevalent, affecting children and adults alike. The existing body of research on monolaurin and these skin disorders has proved promising and hopefully will result in new ways to address these conditions.
Learn more about monolaurin and skin conditions, such as candida, thrush, and other yeast overgrowths.
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References
Ezigbo, Veronica O., Mbaegbu Emmanuella A. (2016). “Extraction of Lauric Acid from Coconut Oil, Its Applications and Health Implications on Some Microorganisms.” African Journal of Education, Science and Technology.
Nakatsuji, T., Kao, M. C., Fang, J. Y., Zouboulis, C. C., Zhang, L., Gallo, R. L., & Huang, C. M. (2009). “Antimicrobial property of lauric acid against Propionibacterium acnes: its therapeutic potential for inflammatory acne vulgaris.” The Journal of investigative dermatology, 129(10), 2480–2488.
Tran, T. Q., Hsieh, M. F., Chang, K. L., Pho, Q. H., Nguyen, V. C., Cheng, C. Y., & Huang, C. M. (2016). “Bactericidal Effect of Lauric Acid-Loaded PCL-PEG-PCL Nano-Sized Micelles on Skin Commensal Propionibacterium acnes.” Polymers, 8(9), 321.
Huang, W. C., Tsai, T. H., Chuang, L. T., Li, Y. Y., Zouboulis, C. C., & Tsai, P. J. (2014). “Anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of capric acid against Propionibacterium acnes: a comparative study with lauric acid.” Journal of dermatological science, 73(3), 232–240.
Yang, D., Pornpattananangkul, D., Nakatsuji, T., Chan, M., Carson, D., Huang, C. M., & Zhang, L. (2009). “The antimicrobial activity of liposomal lauric acids against Propionibacterium acnes.” Biomaterials, 30(30), 6035–6040.
Chew, Yik-Ling. (2019). “The Beneficial Properties of Virgin Coconut Oil in Management of Atopic Dermatitis.” Pharmacognosy Reviews.
Verallo-Rowell, V. M., Dillague, K. M., & Syah-Tjundawan, B. S. (2008). “Novel antibacterial and emollient effects of coconut and virgin olive oils in adult atopic dermatitis”. Dermatitis : contact, atopic, occupational, drug, 19(6), 308–315.
Varothai, S., Nitayavardhana, S., & Kulthanan, K. (2013). “Moisturizers for patients with atopic dermatitis.” Asian Pacific journal of allergy and immunology, 31(2), 91–98.