Abstract
Previous studies have reported various health benefits of virgin coconut oil (VCO) such as weight management, treatment of burns, infections, improve phagocytic activity, etc. The present study was conducted to investigate the anti-ulcer and hematological properties of VCO against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers using rat model. Twenty-four Wistar albino rats were used for the study and were divided into 6 groups of 4 rats each. Group 1 rats served as the normal control; group 2 (positive control) rats were administered indomethacin only, at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight. Group 3 rats were treated with a standard drug (cimetidine) at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight. Groups 4 (3 ml/kg body weight VCO), 5 (6 ml/kg body weight VCO) and 6 (9 ml/kg body weight VCO) rats were treated as stated. The gastric juice volume of group 6 showed a statistically significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the gastric juice volume when compared with the positive control group. There was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin concentration and red blood cell count of VCO treated groups 4, 5 and 6 when compared with the positive control. Nonetheless, there was a significant decrease in the HDL-cholesterol, TAG concentration and total cholesterol level of the tests groups 4, 5 and 6 when compared with the positive control. Histological findings revealed that stomach sections of rats in groups 4 and 5 showed moderate widespread mucosal necrosis and ulceration, while that of group 6 rats showed focal area of mucosal ulceration with evidence of healing by fibrosis when compared with the positive control. The findings of this research revealed that VCO possesses ulcer ameliorative properties and could therefore be used for the treatment of gastric ulcers. Key words: Virgin coconut oil (VCO), ulcer, cholesterol, hematology, gastric juice.  
Highlights
Gastric ulcer refers to sores in the stomach lining or the duodenum
Results from the experimental study were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) and test of statistical significance was carried out using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)
The extract was found to be non-toxic, there was furring and decreased activity/movement following the administration of a high dose (12 ml/kg body weight Virgin coconut oil (VCO)) in the phase II
Summary
Gastric ulcer refers to sores in the stomach lining or the duodenum It is one of the most common ailments suffered by people especially in the developing countries (Balogun et al, 2013). In addition to being expensive, treatment of ulcer with these drugs produces undesirable side effects or resistant strains of H. pylori (Balogun et al, 2013). Virgin coconut oil is an exception; it contains saturated fatty acids yet very beneficial to health (Mouna et al, 2012). This is because VCO contains mostly saturated medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) which are metabolized by the body. Based on the aforementioned premise, this study has been designed to investigate the anti-ulcer effect of VCO and its effect on hematology and lipid profiles
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