Supplementary file 1_Timing-dependent neuroprotective effects of Virgin coconut oil against chronic restraint stress-induced neurobehavioral and hippocampal dysfunction: GC-MS profiling and in vivo evaluation.docx

VCO was administered in a time-staggered manner to delineate its prophylactic, adjuvant, and therapeutic potential. Animals underwent physiological, behavioral (Sucrose Preference Test, Elevated Plus Maze, radial arm maze), biochemical (corticosterone, lipid peroxidation, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase), and histopathological assessments (Nissl staining). Lastly, we performed phytochemical characterization using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).</p>Results<p>VCO significantly enhanced spatial learning and memory while attenuating anhedonia and anxiety-like behavior.

Biochemically, VCO reduced corticosterone and lipid peroxidation levels, restored antioxidant markers, and reinstated hippocampal neuronal morphology, collectively indicating modulation of neurobehavioral activity and restoration of redox homeostasis. Pre-VCO demonstrated superior neuroprotection, suggesting stronger prophylactic and adjunctive pharmacological activity. GC-MS identified caprylic acid possessing the most abundant chromatographic peak alongside polyphenolic compounds, supporting a plausible mechanistic basis for the neuroprotective effects of VCO.</p>Conclusion<p>VCO demonstrates significantly higher neuroprotective efficacy when administered as Pre-treatment in CRS rats.

Overall, these findings establish VCO as a dietary functional food with measurable prophylactic and adjunctive neuroprotective efficacy. These may plausibly be due to the major content of the MCFA-like caprylic acid in VCO mitigating oxidative stress and hippocampal neuronal dysfunction. This study provides GC-MS-based compositional evidence and in vivo functional validation supporting VCO's translational potential as a dietary strategy to mitigate the chronic stress-associated neuropsychiatric burden in human populations.</p>