ASSESSING POTENTIAL OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN THE TREATMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Medicinal plants have been used by Native Americans for generations and continue to be used today for the treatment of Type II diabetes. Type II diabetes has increasingly become a problem in many Native American communities (as well as for the American population in general). Several native plants have been identified that may be helpful in treating this condition. Phenolics and other naturally occurring secondary plant products have been shown to stimulate insulin secretion, regulate glycogen metabolism, and reduce insulin insensitivity. The objective of this study will be to determine the effect of extracts of these medicinal plants taken orally by mice. Specifically the lethal yellow mouse will be used as a model subject for this experiment. The lethal yellow mouse suffers from adult onset obesity and is subject to Type II diabetes. Levels of both glucose and insulin will be compared between controls and mice administered doses of plant extracts.