Protective effect of Corn silk (Zea mays L.) on kidney and liver functions of rats

Document Type : Original Article

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Special Food and Nutrition Department, Food Technology Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt

Abstract

Corn silk has traditionally been seen as a waste material, but in numerous areas around the world, it is used as a traditional medicine. The main objective of this study was to study the effects of corn silk (Zea mays L.) powder, ethanolic extract, and corn silk tea on protecting rats from kidney failure and liver injury and their action on pathogenic bacteria. Corn silk ethanolic extract had the highest total phenolic content and total flavonoid content. Seventeen kinds of phenolic were detected; Ferulic acid has the highest amount of phenolic content. The corn silk extracts showed excellent phytochemical and antioxidant activity. Additionally, they have strong antimicrobial properties. The biological experiment was carried out on thirty male rats weighing (200 ± 5 g) for six weeks and divided into five groups, one of which was a negative control (Basel diet) 2, 3, 4, and 5 groups were given gentamicin by injection to induce liver and kidney toxicity, (group2) was a Positive control and the 3, 4and5 groups were treated with different corn silk treatments. The result demonstrated that corn silk and its extract enhanced antioxidant enzymes using superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Lipid peroxidation was evaluated as Malondialdehyde (MDA), liver functions, kidney functions, and histopathology of the kidneys when compared with the positive group. Finally, this study found that corn silk has antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microorganisms as well as renoprotective and hepatoprotective effects against gentamycin-induced hepato-nephrotoxicity.

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