title: Antistress and antioxidant effects of virgin coconut oilin vivo.
abstract: Virgin coconut oil (VCO) has been consumed worldwide for various health-related reasons and some of its benefits have been scientifically evaluated. Medium-chain fatty acids were found to be a potential antidepressant functional food; however, this effect had not been evaluated in VCO, which is rich in polyphenols and medium-chain fatty acids. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antistress and antioxidant effects of VCOin vivo, using mice with stress-induced injury. The antistress effect of VCO (administeredper os, at a dose of 10 ml/kg body weight) was evaluated using the forced swim test and chronic cold restraint stress models. VCO was able to reduce immobility time and restore oxidative stress in mice post-swim test. Furthermore, mice treated with VCO were found to exhibit higher levels of brain antioxidants, lower levels of brain 5-hydroxytryptamine and reduced weight of the adrenal glands. Consequently, the serum cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose and corticosterone levels were also lower in VCO-treated mice. These results suggest the potential value of VCO as an antistress functional oil.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Swee Keong
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yeap
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Boon Kee
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Beh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Norlaily Mohd
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Hamidah Mohd
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yusof
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, Semenyih, Selangor 43500, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Wan Yong
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Centre, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Soo Peng
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Noorjahan Banu
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Alitheen
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Centre, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Kamariah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Long
keywords: antioxidant; depression; medium-chain fatty acids