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. 2014 Mar 3;19(3):2808-18.
doi: 10.3390/molecules19032808.

Inhibitory effect of corn silk on skin pigmentation

Sang Yoon Choi  1 , Yeonmi Lee  2 , Sung Soo Kim  3 , Hyun Min Ju  4 , Ji Hwoon Baek  5 , Chul-Soo Park  6 , Dong-Hyuk Lee  7
Affiliations

Inhibitory effect of corn silk on skin pigmentation

Sang Yoon Choi et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

In this study, the inhibitory effect of corn silk on melanin production was evaluated. This study was performed to investigate the inhibitory effect of corn silk on melanin production in Melan-A cells by measuring melanin production and protein expression. The corn silk extract applied on Melan-A cells at a concentration of 100 ppm decreased melanin production by 37.2% without cytotoxicity. This was a better result than arbutin, a positive whitening agent, which exhibited a 26.8% melanin production inhibitory effect at the same concentration. The corn silk extract did not suppress tyrosinase activity but greatly reduced the expression of tyrosinase in Melan-A cells. In addition, corn silk extract was applied to the human face with hyperpigmentation, and skin color was measured to examine the degree of skin pigment reduction. The application of corn silk extract on faces with hyperpigmentation significantly reduced skin pigmentation without abnormal reactions. Based on the results above, corn silk has good prospects for use as a material for suppressing skin pigmentation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effects of corn silk extract and arbutin on Melan-A cells. (A) Melan-A cell image after 3 days’ corn silk treatment (magnification 200×); (B) Effects of corn silk extract on the color of a Melan-A cell pellet.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Tyrosinase inhibitory effects.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of corn silk extract on the expression of tyrosinase and dopachrome tautomerase (TRP-2).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in skin brightness (L* value) following 8 consecutive weeks’ use of corn silk extract (mean ± SEM, * p < 0.05 vs. before treatment). (A) corn silk extract 0.75% aqueous solution; (B) corn silk extract 1.5% aqueous solution.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Changes in skin color (ITA value) following 8 consecutive weeks’ use of corn silk extract (mean ± SEM, * p < 0.05 vs. before treatment). (A) corn silk extract 0.75% aqueous solution; (B) corn silk extract 1.5% aqueous solution.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Skin color images following 8 consecutive weeks’ use of corn silk extract 1.5% aqueous solution.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Changes in hyperpigmentation area following 8 consecutive weeks’ use of corn silk extract (mean ± SEM, * p < 0.05 vs. before treatment). (A) corn silk extract 0.75% aqueous solution; (B) corn silk extract 1.5% aqueous solution.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Changes in hyperpigmentation density following 8 consecutive weeks’ use of corn silk extract (mean ± SEM, * p < 0.05 vs. before treatment). (A) corn silk extract 0.75% aqueous solution; (B) corn silk extract 1.5% aqueous solution.
Figure 9
Figure 9
HPLC chromatogram of corn silk extract. (A) luteolin, (B) corn silk extract.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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