Abstract

Sleep is a restorative time that is very important for the body's physiological functions, like how the immune system, memory, and cognition work. Numerous mental, physical, and social issues can lead to sleep problems. Sleep has recently been the subject of increasing interest. The female maize flower known as maydis stigma (MS, corn silk) is traditionally utilized as a medicinal plant to treat a variety of conditions, including diabetes, edema, and hypertension. Additionally, it is utilized in tea and other supplements as a functional food. BS is a phytosterol and a naturally occurring micronutrient found in higher plants. Its structure is comparable to that of cholesterol. It has antiinflammatory, antidepressant, and sedative properties and is a major component of MS. However, it is still unclear how MS might affect how sleep is controlled. Here, we examined the impacts of MS on rest in mice. The mouse models of pentobarbital-induced sleep and caffeine-induced sleep disruption were used to investigate the effects of MS on sleep induction. When compared to the positive control, valerian root extract, MS extracts increased sleep duration and decreased sleep latency in both the caffeine-induced sleep disruption model and the pentobarbital-induced sleep induction model. MS extracts' butanol fraction increased sleep duration and decreased sleep latency time. Additionally, -sitosterol increases sleep duration and latency. The EEG analysis revealed that both -sitosterol and MS extract increased alpha activity. Using qRT-PCR, we determined the mRNA expression of MT1/2 (melatonin receptors 1 and 2). MS extract and -sitosterol treatment increased the mRNA expression of melatonin receptors 1 and 2 in the brain and primary cultured neurons of rats. In addition, per1/2, cry1/2, and Bmal1 expression in the brain was increased by MS extract. ERK1/2 and CaMKII phosphorylation was enhanced by MS extract and -sitosterol. Through the expression of melatonin receptors, our findings for the first time demonstrate that MS has a sleep-promoting effect. This suggests that MS could be used as a potential therapeutic agent to treat and prevent sleep disturbances.

Keywords: Sleep; Melatonin Receptors; Maydis Stigma; Neutraceuticals; New Therapeutics