옥수수수염 추출물의 항산화효과 및 피부각질세포 보호효과

Antioxidative and Protective Effects of Corn Silk (Zea mays L.) Extract on Human HaCaT Keratinocyte

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 IC50valuesof13.3± 0.3 μg/mL and 14.2 ± 0.1 μg/mL when compared with those of α-tocopherol, a positive control, with IC50=10.4± 02.2 and 22.2 ± 3.6 μg/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).