Coconut Oil Attenuates the Effects of Amyloid-beta on Cortical Neurons in vitro

Dietary supplementation has been studied as an approach to ameliorating deficits associated with aging and neurode-generation. We undertook this pilot study to investigate the effects of coconut oil supplementation directly on cortical neurons treated with amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide in vitro. Our results indicate that neuron survival in cultures co-treated with coconut oil and A beta is rescued compared to cultures exposed only to A beta. Coconut oil co-treatment also attenuates A beta-induced mitochondrial alterations. The results of this pilot study provide a basis for further investigation of the effects of coconut oil, or its constituents, on neuronal survival focusing on mechanisms that may be involved.