Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the protective effects of virgin coconut oil (VCO) treatment on hepatic oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses after maximum physical activity.
 Methods: This study used 24 healthy male rats. The rats were divided into four groups randomly consisted of six rats in each group. The control group (P0) was given 2 mL water, the treatment groups (VCO-1, VCO-2, and VCO-4) were given VCO 1 ml/200 g BW, 2 ml/200 g BW, and 4 ml/200 g BW, respectively, per day using gavage spuit. The rats were trained to swim for a month, 30 min/day in the 1st week, 35 min/day in the 2nd week, 40 min/ day in the 3rd week, and 45 min/day in the 4th week. After 28 days, the rats were forced to perform the maximal activity by putting the rats in water with no exit. Blood samples were collected immediately after the maximum physical activity, and then, all rats were killed and liver tissues were collected. The malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and serum glutamic-pyruvate transaminase level were then measured.
 Results: VCO increased swimming time to exhaustion, levels of GPx in the liver, which were accompanied by corresponding decreases in the MDA, alanine transaminase, and aspartate transaminase content.
 Conclusion: The results from this study indicate that VCO is effective in the prevention of oxidative stress following maximum physical activity.
Highlights
Exercise that is carried out routinely, regularly, and according to needs, is beneficial for health such as reducing the risk of degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease, some cancers, diabetes, and osteoporosis [1]
The results showed that maximum physical activity can cause an increase in MDA levels [9] and decreased levels of enzymatic antioxidants in liver tissue [9,10] which resulted in liver damage which was characterized by increased levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) [11,12,13,14]
Effect of virgin coconut oil (VCO) on swimming time to exhaustion of rats Endurance exercise is an important parameter to evaluate antifatigue treatments, and the forced swimming test has been widely used for this purpose with high reproducibility [28]
Summary
Exercise that is carried out routinely, regularly, and according to needs, is beneficial for health such as reducing the risk of degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease, some cancers, diabetes, and osteoporosis [1]. Aerobic exercise can provide many benefits to human health by increasing the fitness of the cardiorespiratory system which can improve quality of life, work efficiency, musculoskeletal function, and the strength of the cardiopulmonary system [2]. Giving a positive impact on the body, physical exercise has a negative impact. Accumulation of free radicals such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause damage to many parts of the cells such as proteins, DNA, and cell membranes by stealing their electrons through a process called oxidation [3,4]. Cellular respiration and regeneration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) can be disrupted if there are damaged mitochondria, they are a major cause of fatigue [5]
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