Quality control of corn silk extract using IR spectroscopy along with statistical methods.

Aqueous extracts of corn silk exhibit glycation-inhibitory activity. Lignin is the active component of these extracts. As corn silk is highly nutritious and has medicinal value, it can be used as a functional food and cosmetics.

Inhibitory effects of senkyuchachosan on SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease activity in vitro.

Papain-like protease (PLpro) enzyme plays a vital role in viral replication as it breaks down polyproteins and disrupts the host's immune response. There are few reports on Kampo formulas that focus on PLpro activity. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of senkyuchachosan, a traditional Japanese medicine, on PLpro of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19.

Characterization of Carbohydrates, Amino Acids, Viscosity, and Antioxidant Capacity in Rice Wines Made in Saitama, Japan, with Different Sake Rice.

We investigated the physicochemical properties of Japanese rice wines, including their functional properties and carbohydrate and amino acid content in solution and solid state. Three samples were tested. The glucose, allose, and raffinose contents in samples (A, B, C) in g/100 g were (3.

Lignin, an active component in the corn silk water extract, inhibits glycation.

The formation of advanced glycation end products is associated with aging and diabetic complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy. Thus, the suppression of AGEs formation could prevent and/or treat their related disorders. Corn silk is used as a traditional medicine for the prevention of diabetic complications and treatment of edema in Japan and China.

Effect of Apple Consumption on Postprandial Blood Glucose Levels in Normal Glucose Tolerance People versus Those with Impaired Glucose Tolerance.

The present study investigated the effect of apple consumption on postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels in subjects with normal versus impaired glucose tolerance. The study participants were ten healthy subjects with no glucose intolerance (normal subjects) (mean, 24.4 ± 4.

Comparison of various commercially available cinnamon barks using NMR metabolomics and the quantification of coumarin by quantitative NMR methods.

Cinnamon bark is an important spice worldwide. In this study, the chemical diversity of various commercially available cinnamon barks that differed in their production areas and utility applications (culinary spice or medicines) were investigated by the use of H NMR metabolomics. Our results indicated that principle component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of the H NMR spectra of the cinnamon bark methanolic extracts including the deduction of their species by nucleotide sequence analysis enabled differentiation of the cinnamon barks according to their species, production areas and utility applications.