Zenodo
Pharmacological Evaluation of the Antihyperlipidemic of Zea mays L. (Corn Silk) in High-Fat-Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemic Rats
By Chaudhary Ashish, Agarwal Richa and Asija Rajesh.
Abstract
Background
Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Although synthetic antihyperlipidemic drugs are widely used, the search for plant-derived bioactive compounds continues to receive attention. Corn silk, the stigma of Zea mays L., contains several phytoconstituents that may contribute to antioxidant and lipid-modulating activities.The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition, in-vitro antioxidant activity, and antihyperlipidemic potential of Zea mays corn silk extract in high-fat-diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats.
Method
Corn silk was collected, dried, powdered, and subjected to Soxhlet extraction using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The extracts were evaluated for extraction yield and qualitative phytochemical constituents. The in-vivo study included five groups of rats: normal control, high-fat-diet disease control, atorvastatin-treated standard group (10 mg/kg), and two test groups receiving the extract at 100 and 200 mg/kg. Serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides (TG), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) were evaluated. Methanolic extraction produced a reported yield of 0.748%, compared with 0.046% for the ethyl acetate extract. In the animal study, the 200 mg/kg test group exhibited lower total cholesterol (152.03 ± 3.54) and triglycerides (153.32 ± 1.90) than the 100 mg/kg group. HDL was higher in the 200 mg/kg group (110.24 ± 1.87) than in the 100 mg/kg group (95.66 ± 4.02). The corresponding LDL values were 143.43 ± 2.41 and 150.10 ± 4.08, respectively. The reported findings indicate that Zea mays corn silk extract possesses in-vitro antioxidant activity and may have antihyperlipidemic potential in high-fat-diet-induced rats. The 200 mg/kg test group showed a more favourable overall lipid profile than the 100 mg/kg group for several parameters.