LAUSR

Corn silk is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used for its antidiabetic, antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic, and other effects in China for thousands of years. Numerous studies have revealed that corn silk contains multiple bioactive constituents that are beneficial for human health. However, the constituents of corn silk in vivo remain ambiguous. In this paper, high-throughput ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology using multivariate statistical analysis was established to systematically investigate the constituents migrating into blood from corn silk aqueous extract. As a result, 76 compounds were identified, including caffeic acid and 10 of its derivatives, (E)-p-coumaric acid and 2 of its derivatives, ferulic acid and 4 of its derivatives, and 5 flavones. Among the identified constituents, 21 constituents, including 9 prototype components and 12 metabolites derived from 8 components, were characterized in sequence. Based on the significance of the results, the applied approach was powerful for the accurate determination and rapid screening of bioactive components from corn silk aqueous extract. The obtained results are valuable for the in-depth understanding and further pharmacological study of corn silk aqueous extract. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.