Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41803199›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Corn silk ameliorates fatty liver disease by modulating the gut microbiota and metabolites in the serum and liver.

Lin Ding, Shan Ren, Chuangang Zang, Long Zheng, Liyan Jiang, Hao Guo, Wenqing Yang, Hong Guan, Jicheng Liu

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Lin Ding *Research Center of Microecological Engineering Technology, Qiqihar Medical University, No. 333, Buqui North Street, Jianhua District, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China.
Shan Ren *Department of Pathophysiology, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China.
Chuangang Zang *Research Center of Microecological Engineering Technology, Qiqihar Medical University, No. 333, Buqui North Street, Jianhua District, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China.
Long ZhengResearch Center of Microecological Engineering Technology, Qiqihar Medical University, No. 333, Buqui North Street, Jianhua District, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China.
Liyan JiangDepartment of Pathogen Biology, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China.
Hao GuoResearch Center of Microecological Engineering Technology, Qiqihar Medical University, No. 333, Buqui North Street, Jianhua District, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China.
Wenqing YangResearch Center of Microecological Engineering Technology, Qiqihar Medical University, No. 333, Buqui North Street, Jianhua District, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China.
Hong GuanResearch Center of Microecological Engineering Technology, Qiqihar Medical University, No. 333, Buqui North Street, Jianhua District, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China. guanhong@qmu.edu.cn.
Jicheng LiuResearch Center of Microecological Engineering Technology, Qiqihar Medical University, No. 333, Buqui North Street, Jianhua District, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, P. R. China. jcliu@qmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Fundamental Research Funds for Education Department of Heilongjiang Province of China 2022-KYYWF-0807
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Corn silk, the stigma of the female flower of maize (Zea mays L.), is a medicinal and food-based homologous natural product. Previous studies have highlighted the lipid-modulating and hepatoprotective properties of corn silk; however, its effects on fatty liver disease remain unclear. C57BL/6J mice were fed an HFD and orally administered CSE. Hepatic histopathology, systemic inflammatory markers, and metabolic profiles were assessed. Gut microbiota and metabolomic analyses were integrated to identify the key regulatory axis. CSE administration significantly improved hepatic steatosis, reduced circulating lipid levels, and suppressed systemic and hepatic inflammation. Microbiota analysis revealed that CSE restructured the intestinal ecology by fostering a “competing guild” dominated by Akkermansia, which was negatively correlated with several pathobionts. Metabolomic profiling indicated that CSE significantly modulated pentose-glucuronate interconversion and primary bile acid biosynthesis. Notably, the enrichment of taurine and activation of the bile acid-FXR signaling axis were identified as pivotal mechanisms for enhancing fatty acid β-oxidation and restoring redox balance via the glutathione pathway. Our findings demonstrate that CSE effectively ameliorates FLD by modulating the gut microbiota-metabolite-liver axis. These results position CSE as a promising prebiotic and functional food candidate for the prevention and treatment of metabolic liver diseases.

Indexed as

Gastrointestinal MicrobiomeLiverZea maysAnimalsDiet, High-FatFemaleLipid MetabolismMaleMetabolomeMetabolomicsMiceMice, Inbred C57BLAkkermansiaCorn silkFatty liver diseaseGut microbiotaMetabolomic

Identifiers

PMID41803199
PMCPMC13087273

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.