Anti-Diabetic Potential of Methanol Extract of Cooked Corn Silk (Stigma Maydis) on Alloxan-Induced Diabetes in Albino Mice

Abstract

The use of herbal remedies, including corn silk, classified as Stigma or Zea mays are popular as an alternative to standard Western allopathic medicine for a variety of problems, including prostate disorders, a diuretic as well as for bedwetting and obesity. In the present study the ant diabetic potential of methanol extract of cooked, dried and pulverized Stigma was assessed in alloxan-induced diabetic albino mice. Hyperglycemia induced by the injection of 150 mg/ kg (i.p.) of alloxan monohydrate freshly dissolved in physiological saline. Doses (250, 500 and 750 mg/kg) per os, of the extract were separately administered to three groups of five diabetic mice each in the study. The activity compared with reference standard glibenclamide (2 mg/kg, p.o.) and negative control of physiological saline. Treatment of the alloxan-induced diabetic mice with the methanol extract of Stigma decreased the raised blood glucose levels in a dose-dependent manner. The methanol extract exhibited relatively significant (P<0.05) anti-diabetic effect after 72 h and 96 h of treatment with the doses of 500 and 750 mg/kg body weight, respectively. Results of photochemical screening of the methanol extract of cooked Stigma have indicated the presence of cardiac glycoside, steroids, terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates and anthraquinones. Objective of the Study All studies done on the anti-diabetic activity of corn silks did not include cooked corn silk. Of course, therefore, some pho-tochemical may be lost into the boiling water while cooking corn silks. This may or may not include corn silk polysaccharides which were reported to be ant diabetic [1] therefore interested in finding out the effect of boiling the corn silk. I don't know whether this is not a drive to carrying out a research.