Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Sep 13;12(9):1443.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12091443.

Antioxidant, Anti-Tyrosinase, and Anti-Skin Pathogenic Bacterial Activities and Phytochemical Compositions of Corn Silk Extracts, and Stability of Corn Silk Facial Cream Product

Affiliations

Antioxidant, Anti-Tyrosinase, and Anti-Skin Pathogenic Bacterial Activities and Phytochemical Compositions of Corn Silk Extracts, and Stability of Corn Silk Facial Cream Product

Raenu Yucharoen et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

Zea mays L. Poaceae stigma (corn silk, CS) is a byproduct of agricultural waste and is used as a traditional herb in many countries. CS is rich in chemical compounds known to benefit human health and is also a remedy for infectious diseases and has anti-proliferative effects on human cancer cell lines. In the present study, CS extract has been evaluated for its antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-tyrosinase activities and its phytochemical composition. The higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents were found in the ethanolic extract of corn silk (CSA), at 28.27 ± 0.86 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract and 4.71 ± 0.79 mg quercetin equivalent/g extract, respectively. Moreover, the antioxidant content of CSA was found at 5.22 ± 0.87 and 13.20 ± 0.42 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract using DPPH and reducing power assays. Furthermore, the ethanolic extract of corn silk showed tyrosinase inhibition with an IC50 value of 12.45 µg/mL. The bacterial growth inhibition of CSA was tested using agar disc diffusion and broth dilution assays against Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis. It was found that CSA inhibited C. acnes and S. epidermidis with an inhibition zone of 11.7 ± 1.2 and 9.3 ± 0.6 mm, respectively. Moreover, the CSA showed MIC/MBC of 15.625 mg/mL against C. acnes. The following phytochemical compounds were detected in CSA: cardiac glycosides; n-hexadecanoic acid; hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester; oleic acid; and 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, ethyl ester. After the corn silk cream product was formulated, the product demonstrated stability without phase separation. This research is beneficial for promoting effective ways to use agricultural waste while utilizing the antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase, and antibacterial activities of corn silk. Moreover, the use of technology and innovation to obtain high-value CS extract will benefit the development of commercial cosmetic products by providing safe, natural, and quality ingredients to the consumer.

Keywords: antibacterial; antioxidant; corn silk; cosmetic; formulation; tyrosinase.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
GC/MS chromatogram and spectra of volatile organic compounds released from the ethanolic extract of CS. The peak at 28.52 min represents n-hexadecanoic acid (a), and the peak at 29.15 min represents hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester (b). The peak at 31.75 min represents oleic acid (c), and the peak at 32.14 min represents 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, ethyl ester (d).

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Kanokkanjana K., Vheewaphongphan P., Garivait S. Black carbon emission from paddy field open burning in Thailand. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011;6:88–92.
    1. Pasukphun N. Environmental health burden of open burning in northern Thailand: A review. PSRU J. Sci. Technol. 2018;3:11–28.
    1. Nurhanan A.R., Wan Rosli W.I. Evaluation of polyphenol content and antioxidant activities of some selected organic and aqueous extracts of cornsilk (Zea mays Hairs) J. Med. Bioeng. 2012;1:48–51.
    1. Hasanudin K., Hashim P., Mustafa S. Corn silk (Stigma maydis) in healthcare: A phytochemical and pharmacological review. Molecules. 2012;17:9697–9715. doi: 10.3390/molecules17089697. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nawaz H., Aslam M., Muntaha S.T. Effect of solvent polarity and extraction method on phytochemical composition and antioxidant potential of corn silk. Free Radic. Antioxid. 2019;9:5–11. doi: 10.5530/fra.2019.1.2. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources

-