Corn extracts lower tissue arsenic level in rat

This study was carried out to see whether corn extracts could reduce the accumulation of arsenic in different tissues of rat. Exposure to arsenic (700μg/rat/day) orally for 15 days led to significant accumulation of arsenic and significant reduction in the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) in different tissues. While water, salt, ethanol and alkali extracts of corn were co-administered at a dose of 0.5 mL/rat/day orally by stomach tube during last 8 days, arsenic concentration decreased significantly in all tissues and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration increased significantly in tissues except heart and skin. Among the extracts, water extract produced maximum reduction of arsenic (69.07% in liver, 64.98% in kidney, 63.47% in lung, 57.55% in heart and 69.30% in skin) and elevation of reduced glutathione level in all tissues (17.03% in liver, 46.73% in lung, 32.67% in heart and 55.38% in skin) except kidney, in which maximum elevation of reduced glutathione was attained by ethanol extract (23.14%). This study suggests that corn extracts might protect rats from accumulation of arsenic in different tissues and oxidative stress, which is reflected by the increasing reduced glutathione concentration in those tissues.