Postprandial Glycemic and Insulinemic Effects of the Addition of Aqueous Extracts of Dried Corn Silk, Cumin Seed Powder or Tamarind Pulp, in Two Forms, Consumed with High Glycemic Index Rice

Waste to Medicine: Evidence from Computational Studies on the Modulatory Role of Corn Silk on the Therapeutic Targets Implicated in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by insulin resistance and/or defective insulin production in the human body. Although the antidiabetic action of corn silk (CS) is well-established, the understanding of the mechanism of action (MoA) behind this potential is lacking. Hence, this study aimed to elucidate the MoA in different samples (raw and three extracts: aqueous, hydro-ethanolic, and ethanolic) as a therapeutic agent for the management of T2DM using metabolomic profiling and computational techniques. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UP-LCMS), in silico techniques, and density functional theory were used for compound identification and to predict the MoA. A total of 110 out of the 128 identified secondary metabolites passed the Lipinski's rule of five. The Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis revealed the cAMP pathway as the hub signaling pathway, in which ADORA1, HCAR2, and GABBR1 were identified as the key target genes implicated in the pathway. Since gallicynoic acid (-48.74 kcal/mol), dodecanedioc acid (-34.53 kcal/mol), and tetradecanedioc acid (-36.80 kcal/mol) interacted well with ADORA1, HCAR2, and GABBR1, respectively, and are thermodynamically stable in their formed compatible complexes, according to the post-molecular dynamics simulation results, they are suggested as potential drug candidates for T2DM therapy via the maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis and pancreatic β-cell function.

Cannabis: a multifaceted plant with endless potentials

Cannabis sativa, also known as "hemp" or "weed," is a versatile plant with various uses in medicine, agriculture, food, and cosmetics. This review attempts to evaluate the available literature on the ecology, chemical composition, phytochemistry, pharmacology, traditional uses, industrial uses, and toxicology of Cannabis sativa. So far, 566 chemical compounds have been isolated from Cannabis, including 125 cannabinoids and 198 non-cannabinoids. The psychoactive and physiologically active part of the plant is a cannabinoid, mostly found in the flowers, but also present in smaller amounts in the leaves, stems, and seeds. Of all phytochemicals, terpenes form the largest composition in the plant. Pharmacological evidence reveals that the plants contain cannabinoids which exhibit potential as antioxidants, antibacterial agents, anticancer agents, and anti-inflammatory agents. Furthermore, the compounds in the plants have reported applications in the food and cosmetic industries. Significantly, Cannabis cultivation has a minimal negative impact on the environment in terms of cultivation. Most of the studies focused on the chemical make-up, phytochemistry, and pharmacological effects, but not much is known about the toxic effects. Overall, the Cannabis plant has enormous potential for biological and industrial uses, as well as traditional and other medicinal uses. However, further research is necessary to fully understand and explore the uses and beneficial properties of Cannabis sativa.

Authentication, chemical profiles analysis, and quality evaluation of corn silk via DNA barcoding and UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS chemical profiling

Corn silk is commonly consumed in teas, food ingredients, and herbal medicines. Several varieties of corn silk are grown in different habitats in China. However, as information regarding their phytochemistry and genetic diversity is limited, their medicinal potential has not been utilized thoroughly. Thus, we aimed to use a combination of DNA barcoding based on specific primer ITSC sequences and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear trap quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS) approach for identifying and evaluating corn silk. ITSC barcoding helped us to identify that 52 samples could be classified into 7 groups of corn silk varieties, but the widely used nrITS and psbA-trnH barcodes failed to identify these varieties. UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS was used to study the components in alcohol extracts derived from different corn silk varieties, and the detected chemical components were analyzed via bioinformatics techniques. We proposed 199 components using untargeted UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS-based metabolomics analysis and identified 67 components. PCA and OPLS-DA analysis revealed two distinct chemotypes by selecting 27 components that could act as difference indicators. KEGG analysis showed that the 199 components were enriched in 12 metabolic pathways. The results showed that corn silk is rich in many types of chemicals and DNA barcoding is better than UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS in distinguishing the differences between different varieties of corn silk. Our findings provide new insights into the chemical and molecular characteristics of different varieties of corn silk, which play a crucial role in the utilization of corn silk resources.

Extraction Optimization, Preliminary Identification, and Bioactivities in Corn Silk

For thousands of years, corn silk has been widely used as an antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antihyperlipidemic and for other effects, but there is a lack of studies that correlate the extracts of flavonoid composition with their biological activities. Thus, the objectives of this study were to optimize the conditions for extracting flavonoids, identify flavonoids, and correlate the flavonoid composition with the biological activities in corn silk. The response surface experiments showed that the highest flavonoid content was predicted at 45.321 min, 57.349°C, 26.089 mL/g, and 71.269%, respectively. The verification experiment results under these optimized conditions showed an ultrasonic time of 45 min, an ultrasonic temperature of 57°C, a liquid-to-material ratio of 26, and an ethanol volume fraction of 70%. No significant differences (the relative error is 4.378%) were observed between the theoretical and experimental TFC values, indicating that the developed models were accurate. Under these optimum extraction conditions, 20 major compounds were identified and quantified by UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS. Furthermore, these optimum ethanol extracts of corn silk are effective against Bacillus subtilis and hypoglycemic activity compared with the traditional heating reflux extraction method. Six corn silk components seem to be the main contributors to the inhibitory effect against Bacillus subtilis and hyperglycemia activities. These results are useful for the application of corn silk in the food or pharmaceutical industry.

Supplementation of cumin seed powder prevents oxidative stress, hyperlipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver in high fat diet fed rats

The present investigation was an attempt to evaluate the hypoglycemic, lipid-lowering, antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of cumin (Cuminum cyminum family: Apiaceae) supplementation in high fat (HF) diet fed rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups, such as control, control+ cumin, HF and HF+ cumin. Oral glucose tolerance test, plasma lipids, oxidative stress parameters, antioxidant enzymes activities, and liver dysfunction marker enzyme activities were evaluated. Additionally, histological staining of liver tissue was performed to evaluate the inflammatory cells infiltration, iron deposition and fibrosis. The current investigation demonstrated that 1% (w/w) supplementation of cumin powder significantly reduced HF diet-induced glucose intolerance, epididymal and mesenteric fat wet weights and lipid parameters like triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins. Oxidative stress-related biomarkers including thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitric oxide (NO) and advanced oxidation protein product (APOP) were also reduced by cumin supplementation. Moreover, HF-diet increased the activity of hepatic biomarker enzymes such as alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities which were significantly reduced by cumin powder supplementation. On the other hand, cumin powder supplementation was able to restore the reduced glutathione level with parallel augmentation of the antioxidant enzymes activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in liver of HF diet-fed rats. Additionally, histological assessments confirmed that cumin powder supplementation also normalized the fat droplet deposition and inflammatory cells infiltration in the liver of HF diet-fed rats. This study suggests that cumin powder supplementation ameliorates dyslipidemia, oxidative stress and hepatic damage in HF diet-fed rats.

The effect of different tea products on flavor, texture, antioxidant and in vitro digestion properties of fresh instant rice after commercial sterilization at 121 °C

The conventional process of commercial sterilization at 121 °C resulted in undesirable flavor, injured texture and fast starch digestion of fresh instant rice (FIR) with non-dehydration. In this study, tea products, such as instant green tea (IGT), instant black tea (IBT) and matcha (Mat) were chosen as ingredients to improve the quality of FIR. The results showed thatadding tea products endowed FIR with subtle flavors and higher antioxidant capacity. And the data of XRD, FTIR and SEM indicated that the improved texture of FIR with suitable chewiness was attributed to the stability of non-crystal structure. Furthermore, compared with IBT and Mat, IGT increased the ability against digestion from 10.18% to 30.44% and delayed the retrogradation rate from 18.89% to 4.38% evidenced by T₂ values after stored for 14 d. Therefore, adding tea products will be a new way to improve the quality of FIR.

Use of Corn Silk Meal in Broiler Diet: Effect on Growth Performance, Blood Biochemistry, Immunological Responses, and Growth-Related Gene Expression

Simple Summary

Corn silk meal (CSM), the outer thread-like material found under corn husks, is a by-product of corn cultivation, which has been documented as a traditional medicine with multiple benefits for human health. Broilers cannot produce the enzymes needed to hydrolyze non-starch polysaccharide (NSP), which has been found to increase gut viscosity, and reduce the digestion and utilization of nutrients, thereby resulting in poor animal performance. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of diets supplemented with CSM and NSP on growth performance, blood biochemistry, immunological and growth-related gene expression in broiler chickens. A total of 270 broiler chickens were divided into six experimental groups: (1) basal diets (BD) as control; (2) BD supplemented with 0.5 g/kg feed NSP enzyme; (3) and (4) fed a diet containing 40 and 80 kg/ton of CSM; (5) and (6) fed a diet containing 40 and 80 kg/ton CSM and supplemented with 0.5 g/kg NSP enzyme. The results showed that the dietary inclusion of CSM with the NSP enzyme can improve growth performance, intestinal histopathology parameters, modify plasma lipids, and enhance immune response in broilers.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of diets supplemented with corn silk meal (CSM) and non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) enzyme on growth performance, blood biochemistry, immunological response, and growth-related gene expression in broiler chickens. A total of 270 broiler chickens were divided into six experimental groups: (1) basal diets (BD) as control; (2) BD supplemented with 0.5 g/kg feed NSP enzyme; the other four groups are CSM diets as following; (3) and (4) fed diet contain 40 and 80 kg/ton of CSM; (5) and (6) fed diet contain 40 and 80 kg/ton CSM and supplemented with 0.5 g/kg NSP enzyme. Body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein retention and fiber digestibility were synergistically improved (p < 0.05) when fed CSM supplemented with NSP enzyme. Moreover, a synergistic decrease (p < 0.05) in the serum glucose and total cholesterol were found. Immune organ weights and Newcastle disease virus titers were increased with CSM diets. Interestingly, the relative mRNAs of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin growth factor (IGF) were increased (p < 0.05) with the CSM and NSP enzyme: the relative mRNA expressions of cholecystokinin (CCK) and leptin were decreased by feeding CSM diets with the NSP enzyme. It could be concluded that the dietary inclusion of CSM with the NSP enzyme might improve growth performance, modify plasma lipids, and enhance immune response in broilers.