Biochemical basis for the safety of intravenous tender coconut water: A non-clinical study

Abstract

Historically, Tender Coconut Water (TCW) has been reported as a natural hydration fluid with some studies suggesting its potential for intravenous (IV) administration in both preclinical and clinical studies. Despite these claims, limited scientific evaluations exist on the biochemical safety of TCW for IV use. Therefore, this laboratory-based study was undertaken to evaluate the biochemical composition of TCW of different coconut varieties grown in Sri Lanka and to assess the suitability of their TCW for IV administration. TCW from five coconut varieties (Green/Brown Tall variety, King Coconut, Golden King Coconut, Dull King Coconut, and Green Dwarf variety), collected under uniform environmental conditions, were analysed for metal ions, glucose, protein contents, molecular weights of proteins, and other physicochemical parameters such as pH and conductivity. The microbiology test was carried out for the TCW of all five varieties. The resulting plasma[K+] following IV administration of TCW was determined using a mathematical model. Among the five tender coconut varieties, the King Coconut variety exhibited significantly higher levels of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and glucose content. Protein concentrations were low across all samples (0.02-0.08%), and SDSPAGE analysis revealed faint peptide bands with molecular weights ranging from 1 kDa to 13 kDa. The pH of all five varieties ranged from 4 to 7, and all samples were free of microbes. Calculations showed that a high potassium concentration of approximately 52 mEq/L gets diluted 6 – 9 times after IV administration. Further, the presence of adequate concentrations of hyperkalaemia antidotes such as calcium, magnesium, and glucose accounts for the non-existence of hyperkalaemia situations. Additionally, the low concentration of proteins and their low molecular weights of less than 10 kDa are possibly insufficient to qualify these as antigens, suggesting minimal risk of hypersensitivity reactions except for the TCW of Dull King Coconut variety (≈ 13 kDa). Considering all the evaluated parameters, the findings favour the potential intravenous compatibility of TCW of different coconut varieties, while limited to laboratory scale assessment. However, further preclinical and clinical studies are warranted to substantiate these findings for safe application of TCW in clinical settings.