Phytochemical screening and <i>in vitro </i>assessment of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of cornsilk (<i>Stigma maydis</i>) extracts

Cornsilk (Stigma maydis) has significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, making it a valuable component in traditional medicine. In this context, our study focuses on the phytochemical, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory analysis of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Stigma maydisusing various methods (phytochemical screening, anti-oxidative activity (DPPH), ferric reducing power (FRAP), TAC and red blood cell membrane stabilisation method). Preliminary results showed that these extracts were rich in polyphenols (with 80.60 ±0.03* vs 45.99 ±0.01* at p ≤ 0.05 for methanolic and aqueous extracts respectively) and flavonoids (with 27.14 ±0.07* vs 9.70 ±0.05 at p ≤ 0.05. Furthermore, the results of the antioxidant activity showed that the methanolic fraction had the highest antioxidantcapacity (195 mg EAA/1 g EXS) compared to the aqueous extracts (105.2 mg EAA/1 g EXS). However, the anti-inflammatory evaluation showed that the highest percentage of haemolysis inhibition was observed with the aqueous extract of Stigma maydis, which can be explained by the fact that the haemolytic activity of each extract is related to its chemical composition. These results confirmthat Stigma maydis extracts have excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which could recommend them as a real alternative to chemical drugs.