Angelica gigas Nakai, Cnidium officinale Makino, and Paeonia japonica Miyabe) was developed to protect immune, hematopoietic, and self-renewal tissues against radiation. This study determined whether or not
HemoHIM could alter
hyperglycemia and the immune response in diabetic mice. Both nondiabetic and diabetic mice were orally administered
HemoHIM (100 mg/kg) once a day for 4 weeks. Diabetes was induced by single injection of
streptozotocin (STZ, 200 mg/kg, i.p.). In diabetic mice,
HemoHIM effectively improved
hyperglycemia and
glucose tolerance compared to the diabetic control group as well as elevated plasma
insulin levels with preservation of
insulin staining in pancreatic β-cells.
HemoHIM treatment restored thymus weight, white blood cells, lymphocyte numbers, and splenic lymphocyte populations (CD4(+) T and CD8(+) T), which were reduced in diabetic mice, as well as IFN-γ production in response to Con A stimulation. These results indicate that
HemoHIM may have potential as a
glucose-lowering and immunomodulatory agent by enhancing the immune function of pancreatic β-cells in STZ-induced diabetic mice.