Effect of Lentinula edodes on Morphological and Biochemical Blood Parameters of Horses

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) have remarkable health properties that have been used in Far Eastern medicine for centuries. There is limited evidence that L. edodes has a direct effect on cell metabolism, with overall beneficial effects on animal health. As shiitake mushroom products appear to have a broad spectrum of effects, from changes in the immune response to changes in performance, a study was conducted to evaluate the effects of shiitake mushroom supplementation on the blood morphological and biochemical parameters in horses. This pilot study showed that there were single statistical differences between sessions between the supplemented and the control groups. The blood morphology showed that shiitake mushroom supplementation had an effect on white blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels. In the biochemical analysis, shiitake mushrooms affected the levels of alkaline phosphatase, calcium, gamma-glutamyl transferase, bilirubin, and glucose and the albumin/globulin ratio. The observed differences between the supplemented and the control group sessions suggest that shiitake mushrooms may be a beneficial nutritional supplement for horses. ABSTRACT: Shiitake mushrooms have been highly regarded as possessing enormous nutritive and medicinal values. No clinical studies have yet investigated the effect of shitake supplementation on the health of horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of shiitake mushroom supplementation on the morphological and biochemical blood properties in horses. A total of 17 adult horses were divided into two groups: supplemented and control. The supplemented group was fed 60 g of shiitake mushrooms per day for 5 months. Blood samples were collected in five sessions. Blood morphological analysis showed higher levels of lymphocytes in session 3 and monocytes in session 4 in the supplemented group. In addition, basophils, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were elevated compared to the control group. Biochemical analysis showed that the shiitake mushrooms affected a large number of parameters. In particular, alkaline phosphatase was found to be the most sensitive to shitake mushroom supplementation, for which the statistical differences were significant for sessions 2, 4, and 5. Furthermore, calcium was found to be affected by supplementation only in session 4, and gamma-glutamyl transferase in session 2. In addition, the bilirubin and glucose levels were lower in the supplemented group, and the albumin/globulin ratio was higher compared to the control group. The differences between the supplement and the control group in various sessions suggest that shiitake mushrooms are a beneficial nutritional supplement for horses.