Immunostimulating activity of maysin isolated from corn silk in murine RAW 264.7 macrophages

• Published in: BMB Reports Vol. 47; no. 7; pp. 382 - 387
• Main Authors: Lee, Jisun, Kim, Sun-Lim, Lee, Seul, Chung, Mi Ja, Park, Yong Il
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - BMB Reports 31.07.2014; Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; 생화학분자생물학회
• Subjects: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Adjuvants, Immunologic - pharmacology; Animals; Cell Line; Cell Survival; Cell Survival - drug effects; Corn silk; Immunostimulating activity; iNOS; MAPK; Maysin; TNF-alpha; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases - metabolism; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - chemistry; Flavonoids - isolation & purification; Flavonoids - pharmacology; Flavonoids - toxicity; Glucosides; Glucosides - chemistry; Glucosides - isolation & purification; Glucosides - pharmacology; Glucosides - toxicity; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; Macrophages; Macrophages - drug effects; Macrophages - metabolism; Mice; NF-kappa B; NF-kappa B - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Phosphorylation - drug effects; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism; Zea mays; Zea mays - metabolism; 화학
• ISSN: 1976-6696; 1976-670X
• DOI: 10.5483/bmbrep.2014.47.7.191

Corn silk (CS) has long been consumed as a traditional herb in Korea. Maysin is a major flavonoid of CS. The effects of maysin on macrophage activation were evaluated, using the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Maysin was isolated from CS by methanol extraction, and preparative C18 reverse phase column chromatography. Maysin was nontoxic up to 100 μg/ml, and dose-dependently increased TNF-α secretion and iNOS production by 11.2- and 4.2-fold, respectively, compared to untreated control. The activation and subsequent nuclear translocation of NF-κB was substantially enhanced upon treatment with maysin (1-100 μg/ml). Maysin also stimulated the phosphorylation of Akt and MAPKs (ERK, JNK). These results indicated that maysin activates macrophages to secrete TNF-α and induce iNOS expression, via the activation of the Akt, NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways. These results suggest for the first time that maysin can be a new immunomodulator, enhancing the early innate immunity.