Levels of liver and muscle glycogen, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), blood lactic acid (LD), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined in mice that were fed diets containing either Schizophyllum commune fruit body powder or submerged cultures of the fungus. Liver glycogen levels, and SDH and LDH levels in the serum of mice fed diets containing mushroom fruit bodies or submerged culture material were significantly higher (P<0.01) compared with control mice fed basal feed only. Muscle glycogen levels were also significantly higher (P<0.01) in mice fed fruit body-containing diets than in control mice. Compared with controls, LD elimination rates were higher, and increases in BUN were significantly lower (P<0.01), in mice fed diets containing either mushroom fruit bodies or submerged culture material. These data indicate a clear anti-fatigue function for S. commune.
