In silico evaluation of coconut milk phenolic antioxidants and their inhibition of oxidative stress in intestinal Lactobacillus spp. in vitro

Coconut milk is widely used in culinary applications in many Asian countries. The beneficial effect of coconut milk on gut health is limited to traditional knowledge and the beneficial effect of phenolic compounds present in coconut milk on gut microorganisms is not known. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the phenolic compounds present in coconut milk on improving gut health and providing protection to gut microorganisms against inflammatory and oxidative stress conditions using Lactobacillus spp. The in silico analysis of the present study predicted the formation of 41 metabolites from 7 parent phenolic compounds present in coconut milk. According to in silico findings, phenolic compounds present in coconut milk and their metabolites display antioxidant and intestinal anti-inflammatory activities. The protective effect of the phenolic extracts of coconut milk against oxidative stress was evaluated in vitro by treating human intestinal Lactobacillus spp. with phenolic extracts of coconut milk followed by exposing them to oxidative stress and monitoring the levels of protein carbonyls and lipid peroxides under oxidative stress conditions. The results indicated that the phenolic extracts of coconut milk provide protection to Lactobacillus spp. against oxidation under H2O2-induced and aerobic oxidative stress conditions suggesting that coconut milk may mitigate the harmful influences of oxidative stress on gut microbiota hence enhancing gut health. Present findings also encourage the development of coconut milk as a vegan alternative to cow’s milk.