• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.459-466
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study evaluated the capability of bone formation with silk fibroin/nano-hydroxyapatite/corn starch composite scaffold as a bone defect replacement matrix when grafted in a calvarial bone defect of rabbits $in$ $vivo$. Methods: Ten New Zealand white rabbits were used for this study and bilateral round-shaped defects were formed in the parietal bone (diameter: 8.0 mm). The silk fibroin 10% nano-hydroxyapatite/30% corn starch/60% composite scaffold was grafted into the right parietal bone (experimental group). The left side (control group) was grafted with a nano-hydroxyapatite (30%)/corn starch (70%) scaffold. The animals were sacrificed at 4 weeks and 8 weeks. A micro-computerized tomography (${\mu}CT$) of each specimen was taken. Subsequently, the specimens were decalcified and stained with Masson's trichrome for histological and histomorphometric analysis. Results: The average ${\mu}CT$ and histomorphometric measures of bone formation were higher in the control group than in the experimental group at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after surgery though not statistically significant ($P$ >0.05). Conclusion: The rabbit calvarial defect was not successfully repaired by silk fibroin/nano-hydroxyapatite/corn starch composite scaffold and may have been due to an inflammatory reaction caused by silk powder. In the future, the development of composite bone graft material based on various components should be performed with caution.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.575-582
• /
• 2016

BACKGROUNG/OBJECTIVES: The study was performed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of action of high maysin corn silk extract on body weight and fat deposition in experimental animals. MATERIALS/METHODS: A total of 30 male C57BL/6J mice, 4-weeks-old, were purchased and divided into three groups by weight using a randomized block design. The normal-fat (NF) group received 7% fat (diet weight basis), the high-fat (HF) group received 25% fat and 0.5% cholesterol, and the high-fat corn silk (HFCS) group received high-fat diet and high maysin corn silk extract at 100 mg/kg body weight through daily oral administration. Body weight and body fat were measured, and mRNA expression levels of proteins involved in adipocyte differentiation, fat accumulation, fat synthesis, lipolysis, and fat oxidation in adipose tissue and the liver were measured. RESULTS: After experimental diet intake for 8 weeks, body weight was significantly lower in the HFCS group compared to the HF group (P < 0.05), and kidney fat and epididymal fat pad weights were significantly lower in the HFCS group compared to the HF group (P < 0.05). In the HFCS group, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-${\beta}$, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-${\gamma}1$ (PPAR-${\gamma}1$), and PPAR-${\gamma}2$ mRNA expression levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in the epididymal fat pad, whereas cluster of differentiation 36, lipoprotein lipase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1, sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, isozyme-4, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased in liver and adipose tissues (P < 0.05). In the HFCS group, mRNA expression levels of AMP-activated protein kinase, hormone-sensitive lipase, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 were elevated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that high maysin corn silk extract inhibits expression of genes involved in adipocyte differentiation, fat accumulation, and fat synthesis as well as promotes expression of genes involved in lipolysis and fat oxidation, further inhibiting body fat accumulation and body weight elevation in experimental animals.

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

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.46 no.9
• /
• pp.1045-1052
• /
• 2017

In this study, a battery of genetic-toxicity studies on corn silk extract with high maysin content were performed according to internationally accepted protocols. In a mutation test using Salmonella Typhimurium TA1535, TA1537, TA98, and TA100, the number of mutant colonies did not significantly increase up to a maximum concentration of $5,000{\mu}g/plate$ in the presence or absence of the S9 metabolic activation system. In the chromosome aberration test using Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts, negative results were observed in the concentration up to $1,250{\mu}g/mL$ of corn silk extract. In the micronucleus test using ICR mice, incidence of polymorphonuclear erythrocytes with a maximum concentration of 2,000 mg/kg corn silk extract did not show any significant difference compared to the negative control group. Based on these results, the test substance, con silk extract, did not influence genotoxicity.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.501-506
• /
• 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 Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.144-148
• /
• 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.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.47 no.7
• /
• pp.382-387
• /
• 2014

Corn silk (CS) has long been consumed as a traditional herb in Korea. Maysin is a major flavonoid of CS. The effects of maysin on macrophage activation were evaluated, using the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Maysin was isolated from CS by methanol extraction, and preparative $C_{18}$ reverse phase column chromatography. Maysin was nontoxic up to $100{\mu}g/ml$, and dose-dependently increased TNF-${\alpha}$ secretion and iNOS production by 11.2- and 4.2-fold, respectively, compared to untreated control. The activation and subsequent nuclear translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ was substantially enhanced upon treatment with maysin ($1-100{\mu}g/ml$). Maysin also stimulated the phosphorylation of Akt and MAPKs (ERK, JNK). These results indicated that maysin activates macrophages to secrete TNF-${\alpha}$ and induce iNOS expression, via the activation of the Akt, NF-${\kappa}B$ and MAPKs signaling pathways. These results suggest for the first time that maysin can be a new immunomodulator, enhancing the early innate immunity.

• Food Engineering Progress
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.256-266
• /
• 2017

This study was designed to optimize ethanol extraction process of unfertilized corn silk (UCS) to maximize phytochemical contents and bioactivities. The response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD) was employed to obtain the optimal extraction conditions. The influence of ethanol concentration, extraction temperature and extraction time on total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents, maysin contents, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging activities and tyrosinase inhibition were analyzed. For all dependable variables, the most significant factor was ethanol concentration followed by extraction temperature and extraction time. The following optimum conditions were determined by simultaneous optimization of several responses with the Derringer's desirability function using the numerical optimization function of the Design-Expert program: ethanol concentration 80.45%, extraction temperature $53.49^{\circ}C$, and extraction time 4.95 h. Under these conditions, the predicted values of total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents, maysin contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity and tyrosinase inhibition were $2758.74{\mu}g\;GAE/g$ dried sample, $1520.81{\mu}g\;QUE/g$ dried sample, 810.26 mg/100g dried sample, 56.86% and 43.49%, respectively, and the overall desirability (D) was 0.74.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.291-298
• /
• 1996

This study was carried out at Crop Experiment Station in 1993 and 1994. The objective of this study was finding out variation of growth and yield of corn according to maturity. Hybrids of corn used in this study were early maturing corn Comet80, Elite90, Royaldent IOOT, Royaldent T$\times$llO, P3525, P3394, medium maturing corn Royaldent 120T. and late maturing corn Jungbuok, P3144W. G4743. Stalk height, leaf number, ear weight, stover weight, and TDN yield of early maturing corn were linearly increased with prolonged maturity in 1993 growing season. Leaf number, and stover weight of early and late maturing corn were linearly increased with prolonged maturity in 1994 growing season. But ear weight of late manuring corn was not increased as much as that of early manuring corn with prolonged maturity. Increase of total DM and TDN yield of late maturing corn was due to stover weight increase compared with ear weight increase of early maturing corn. Leaf number and stover weight were highly correlated with silk (Growing Degree Days) GDD.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.123-128
• /
• 1998

Legume winter cover crop hairy vetch(Vicia villosa Roth, HV) can supply mineral nitrogen for silage corn by HV cover killed. The purphose of this study was to understand changes of soil mineral N, yield and N uptake of silage corn by N level (0, 135kgFN/ha) and cover cmp(no cover crop: NCC, hairy vetch cover crop: HVC) at field of Crop Experiment Station in 1996. HV growth decreased soil mineral N concentration before seeding corn, but killed HV cover increased concentration of soil mineral N at surface soil (0~7.5cm) at six-leaf stage of corn. Total dry matter(DM) and N uptake of corn averaged over N level was more decreased in HVC than in NCC at silk stage, but N uptake of corn after silk was more increased in HVC than in NCC by N mineralized fiom HV killed, especially in OkgFNJha. N fertilization increased total DM and and N uptake of corn averaged over cover crop, especially more increased the DM and N uptake before silk stage. Early application of N fertilizer was recommendable in netillage silage corn using hairy vetch cover crop.