NIS - libdoc.who.int - World Health Organization

Styli cum stigmatis Zeae maydis
ous extract of dried stigmas of Zea mays (concentration 250 µg/ml) revealed
an anti-complementary activity in a culture of cells from human
serum (73).
Antioxidant activity
A methanol extract of the stigmas of Zea mays at various concentrations
(0.2–4 mg/sample) inhibited lipid peroxide formation in liposomes, induced
by the Fe 2+ /ascorbate system, and measured spectrophotometrically
by a thiobarbituric acid assay (74).
Antitumour activity
Intraperitoneal administration of an aqueous extract of dried stigmas and styles
at a dose of 150 mg/kg on days 5, 6 and 7 after the start of the experiment revealed
antitumour activity in the Ehrlich-carcinoma ascites model in mice (75).
Toxicology
A number of haematological factors in rats were altered by intragastric
administration of an aqueous extract of the stigmas of Zea mays at doses
of 50 and 100 mg/kg, but the effects at these dose levels were not considered
significantly toxic (76). A 100% (non-diluted) ethanol extract of
shade-dried stigmas of Zea mays (at a concentration of 70 µg/ml) expressed
mutagenic activity in vitro on Salmonella typhimurium T1530
(72). The toxicity of a methanol-insoluble fraction of an aqueous extract
of dried stigmas of Zea mays in rabbits was reported to be low. The effective
intravenous dose for a diuretic action was documented as 1.5 mg/kg
bw, and the LD 50
as 250 mg/kg in rabbits (78). Stigmas of Zea mays contain
an unidentified toxic principle described as being a cyanogenic compound
(78). In the course of a study of the possible diuretic activity of a
dried aqueous extract of the style and stigma of Zea mays (the main effect
observed was an increased loss of sodium, potassium and chloride ions),
the LD 50
of the extract for male rats was 14.5 g/kg bw (79).
Clinical pharmacology
The diuretic effect of styles and stigmas of Zea mays has been tested in an
open non-randomized clinical trial. Thirty patients with various cardiovascular
diseases with accompanying fluid retention received an infusion
of dried styles and stigmas (30 g in 200 ml of water), at a dose of one tablespoonful
six times daily for 4–5 days. An increase in diuresis was observed
in 65% of the patients. Observations in patients with other conditions
have shown that the same dosage regime led to an increase in
diuresis of about 36% in patients with chronic nephritis and of 32% in
431