An investigation of the anti-diabetic effects of an extract from Cladonia humilis.

The effect of Cladonia humilis on glycaemic metabolism was researched in this studied. The blood glucose, insulin secretion and glycogen synthesis of the hyperglycemic mice induced by alloxan were analyzed respectively. The gluconeogenesis and the sugar tolerance of the normal mice were also analyzed in this paper. After the hyperglycemic mice were orally administrated with Cladonia humilis extract, the blood glucose was decreased (p<0.05), the level of insulin secretion and glycogen synthesis were elevated (p<0.05, p<0.01, respectively). In addition, Cladonia humilis extract could inhibit the gluconeogenesis (p<0.01) and improve the sugar tolerance in normal control mice. These results maybe account for the causes of Cladonia humilis extract-induced significant decreases of the blood glucose in hyperglycemic mice.