• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.710-713
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• 2017

This study evaluates the ability of corn silk (Zea mays L.) extract to function as a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-atopic therapeutic agent. The anti-inflammatory effects of corn silk were evaluated by measuring the inhibitory activities of nitric oxide (NO) and production of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$. Anti-atopic effects were assessed by measuring the repression of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC). These results indicated that NICS-1 (corn silk ethanol extract) and NICS-3 (high maysin corn silk ethanol extract) functioned as anti-inflammatory agents by down-regulating LPS-induced NO and TNF-${\alpha}$. Additionally, two extracts showed weak repression of TARC expression levels in tumor necrosis factor TNF-${\alpha}$ plus IFN-${\gamma}$ induced HaCaT cells, respectively. These results suggest that corn silk extracts have anti-inflammatory and anti-atopic activities, and thus have the potential to reduce and alleviate the symptoms associated with atopic dermatitis.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.184-190
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• 2016

We investigated the antioxidative and protective effects of corn silk (Zea mays L.) ethanol extracts on human HaCaT cells and erythrocytes. The NICS-2 fraction, extracted from corn silk, exhibited favorable 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activities with $IC_{50}$valuesof$13.3{\pm}0.3{\mu}g/mL$ and $14.2{\pm}0.1{\mu}g/mL$ when compared with those of ${\alpha}$-tocopherol, a positive control, with $IC_{50}=10.4{\pm}02.2$ and $22.2{\pm}3.6{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. In addition, we investigated skin protection effects of NICS extracts of corn silk in HaCaT keratinocytes. To investigate the pharmacological potential of NICS-1 and NICS-2 extracts of corn silk on UV-B-induced damage in HaCaT cells, we measured the activity of interleukin (IL) 1a. Our results showed that all the corn silk extracts inhibited the UV-B-induced activity of IL-1a. In particular, NICS-1 extracts of corn silk significantly suppressed IL-1a activity in a dose-dependent manner without inducing cytotoxicity. These results indicate that the ethanol extracts of corn silk (Zea mays L.) could function as natural cytoprotective agents and antioxidants in biological systems, particularly the skin exposed to UV radiation, by protecting cellular membrane against reactive oxygen species (ROS).

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.138-142
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• 2006

Various levels of antibacterial activity have been identified for water and ethanol extracts of corn silk, particularly against Salmonella typhimurium KCTC 2515. In general, the water extract was more effective than the ethanol extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the water extract was 7.5 mg/disc for S. typhimurium KCTC 2515 and B. cereus KCTC 1092, as well as for the ethanol extract against S. typhimurium KCTC 2515 and S. typhimurium KCTC 1925. However, the MICs for the water extract were lower than those for the ethanol extract against all bacteria tested, except S. typhimurium KCTC 1925 and B. cereus KCTC 1014. The growth of the tested organisms in the synthesized broth medium was inhibited with the addition of 5-fold levels of MIC. Using sterilized milk as the model food system, we found that the lag phase for these microorganisms was extended up to 3 days at $20^{\circ}C$, but was not affected at $4^{\circ}C$. These results indicate that bacterial growth was strongly inhibited by corn silk extract at $20^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.144-148
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• 2020

Corn silk (Okmi-su) was anciently adopted as a material for tea or beverage. Corn silk extracts (CSE) contain bioactive phytochemicals such as phenolic acid, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, tannins, and glycosides. Under the impact of these functional components, CSE has benefits for antioxidation, diuresis, anti-diabetes, and dyslipidemia recovery. Nonetheless, its role in whole-body adiposity was not investigated; therefore, the effects of CSE on obesity were evaluated in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Mice were assigned to either group (n=12); 1) normal diet (18% kcal from fat), 2) high-fat diet (45% kcal from fat, the control), 3) high-fat diet with CSE (800 mg/kg diet), and 4) high-fat diet with orlistat (500 mg/kg diet, a comparable control for weight loss). Our results showed that body weight, adiposity, and energy expenditure in obese mice were not altered by CSE. Lean body mass tended to decrease by CSE, which can be explained by stimulation of diuresis (p=0.06). In conclusion, our results suggest that dietary consumption of CSE does not influence the adiposity and underlying substrate utilization in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.171-185
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• 2017

${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid biosynthesized through decarboxylation of L-glutamic acid by glutamic acid decarboxylase. GABA is believed to play a role in defense against stress in plants. In humans, it is known as one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, exerting anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic effects. In this report, we wanted to enhance the GABA production from the barley leaf and corn silk by culturing them with lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The barley leaf and corn silk were mixed with various weight combinations and were fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum in an incubator at $30^{\circ}C$ for 48 h. After extracting the fermented mixture with hot water, we evaluated the GABA production by thin layer chromatography and GABase assay. We found that the fermented mixture of the barley leaf and corn silk in a nine to one ratio contained a higher level of GABA than other ratios, meaning that the intermixture and fermentation technique was effective in increasing the GABA content. We also tested several biological activities of the fermented extracts and found that the extracts of the fermented mixture showed improved antioxidant activities than the non-fermented extracts and no indication of cytotoxicity. These results suggest that our approach on combining the barley leaf and corn silk and its fermentation with LAB could lead to the possibility of the development of functional foods with high levels of GABA content and improved biological activities.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.292-298
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of microencapsulation on the water absorption, DPPH radical scavenging activity (DRSA), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (HRSA) and tyrosinase inhibition activity (TIA) in corn silk extracts. The lowest value (0.20) of water absorption index (WAI) and the highest value (95.23%) of water solubility index (WSI) were maltodextrin+cyclodextrin microencapulated corn silk extracts (MD+CD) and cyclodextrin encapulated corn silk extracts (CD), respectively. The 18.60% for DRSA value of control was increased to 89.25% for that of CD. The 16.89% for HRSA value of control was increased to 47.46%, and 7.16% for TIA value of control was increased to 39.35% for that of MD+CD, respectively. The MD+CD would be used for functional food and cosmetics materials as antioxidant and skin whitening agents. All investigated responses between control and treatment were statistically significant (p<0.05).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1399-1407
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• 2015

Klebsiella pneumoniae is found in the normal flora of the skin, mouth, respiratory tract, urinary tract, and intestines in human. However, the stain is opportunistic pathogen, which is the causative agent of community acquired pneumonia. Corn silk has been known to be effective for antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria, including K. pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Shigella spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, et al. In this study we focused on the antimicrobial properties of con silk water extract of K. penumoniae. K. pneumoniae isolates K. pneumoniae ATCC 13883 and broad-spectrum β-lactamase (BSBL), exteded-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), carbapenemase-producers. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined by the disk diffusion method. Searches for bla genes were performed by PCR amplication and direct sequencing. MacConkey agar plate medium was prepared using the corn silk extracts (50% or 100%) instead of distilled water for antimicrobial activity test. The microbial growth inhibitory potential of K. pneumoniae was determined by using the MacConkey agar plate spreading method, and the plate was incubated 18 hr at 37℃. Genes encoding β-lactamases including SHV-1 (n=8), SHV-2a (n=8), SHV-5 (n=2), SHV-11 (n=2), SHV-12 (n=18), TEM-1 (n=10), CTX-M-3 (n=2), CTX-M-14 (n=2), CTX-M-15 (n=1), GES-5 (n=5), KPC-2 (n=6), KPC-3 (n=4), and NDM-1 (n=2) were detected. The corn silk extract showed significantly antimicrobial activity against K. pneumoniae ATCC 13883, but BSBLs, ESBLs, and carbapenemase producers were not. Therefore, corn silk extract is thought to be able to assist in the prevention and rapid recovery of infectious disease caused by K. pneumoniae.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.501-506
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• 2016

BACKGROUNG/OBJECTIVES: Corn silk (CS) extract contains large amounts of maysin, which is a major flavonoid in CS. However, studies regarding the effect of CS extract on cholesterol metabolism is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of CS extract on cholesterol metabolism in C57BL/6J mouse fed high-fat diets. MATERIALS/METHODS: Normal-fat group fed 7% fat diet, high-fat (HF) group fed 25% fat diet, and high-fat with corn silk (HFCS) group were orally administered CS extract (100 mg/kg body weight) daily. Serum and hepatic levels of total lipids, triglycerides, and total cholesterol as well as serum free fatty acid, glucose, and insulin levels were determined. The mRNA expression levels of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), cholesterol 7-alpha hydroxylase (CYP7A1), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), low-density lipoprotein receptor, 3-hyroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), adiponectin, leptin, and tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$ were determined. RESULTS: Oral administration of CS extract with HF improved serum glucose and insulin levels as well as attenuated HF-induced fatty liver. CS extracts significantly elevated mRNA expression levels of adipocytokines and reduced mRNA expression levels of HMG-CoA reductase, ACAT, and FXR. The mRNA expression levels of CYP7A1 and LCAT between the HF group and HFCS group were not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS: CS extract supplementation with a high-fat diet improves levels of adipocytokine secretion and glucose homeostasis. CS extract is also effective in decreasing the regulatory pool of hepatic cholesterol, in line with decreased blood and hepatic levels of cholesterol though modulation of mRNA expression levels of HMG-CoA reductase, ACAT, and FXR.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.41 no.spc1
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• pp.46-68
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• 1996

The objective of this report is to review the up to present papers including 79 references about functional ingredients in maize and their variations. Maize is a good source of such antioxidants as ${\alpha}-,\;{\gamma}-tocopherols,\;{\alpha}-,\;{\beta}-carotene,\;{\beta}-cryptoxanthin$, zeaxanthin, quercetin and chlorogenic acid. Unsaponifiable standard extracts of Zea mays L. (ZML) have a beneficial effect on various dental diseases. Flavonoids, flavonoid biosynthetic pathway and their controling genes were also reviewed in this report. Flavonoids are required for successful fertilization in maize pollen, and maysin has a potent antibiotic activities to earworm and fall armyworm in maize silks. Maize silks have been used in traditional medicine for diuretic, vascular diseases and diabetes, etc. and boiling water extracts of maize silk have hemodynamic effects, but their ingredients still remain obscure.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.644-651
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• 2010

We prepared sikhe (CSE/BR-SH) using corn silk extract and black rice. The pH decreased during saccharification, from pH $5.88{\pm}0.03$ to pH $5.67{\pm}0.02$ after 6 h. However, the brix and reducing sugar contents increased during saccharification of CSE/BR-SH, with the highest levels ($7.6{\pm}0.05$ brix and $4.012{\pm}0.05$ g/l, respectively) being attained at 6 h. Amylase activity increased to 116.12% of control values 1 h after saccharification of CSE/BR-SH, and decreased thereafter. CSE/BR-SH was light purple in color. Soluble phenolic concentration increased markedly from an initial 8.43 g/l to 23.09 g/l at the end of saccharification (6 h), as did DPPH radical-scavenging activity (from an initial 17.3% to 70.98%), Increases were noted in all of ABTS radical-scavenging activity (from 40.25% to 75.32%), reducing power (from 0.241 to 0.682), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (from 0.288 to 1.071).