Dried bonito broth improves cognitive function via the histaminergic system in mice

Abstract

Bonito extract, i.e., dried bonito broth (DBB), has been reported to counteract mental fatigue and to increase performance in a simple calculation task, but the mechanism by which DBB increases task performance is not known. The brain neurotransmitter histamine is biosynthesized only from histidine in the tuberomammillary nucleus. Histamine neurons are projected to almost all areas of the cerebral cortex, and histamine has various behavioral and neurobiological functions, particularly in recognition memory. Here we used a mouse model to investigate the effects of the oral ingestion of DBB, which contains abundant histidine, as well as the ingestion of histidine on cognitive function. In a retention trial of novel object recognition test, the administration of 1.6 g/ kg of DBB and 500 mg/kg of histidine significantly increased the animals' exploratory behavior toward a novel object, and that these agents significantly increased the spontaneous alternation behavior ratio in a Y-maze under conditions of scopolamine-induced amnesia, which induced learning and memory impairment. These results suggested the improvement of spatial short-term working memory in a scopolamine amnesia model, as well as the strengthening of visual cognitive function by a single ingestion of DBB and histidine. Interestingly, the administration of αFMH, which is an inhibitor of histamine biosynthesis, eliminated the increase in the spontaneous alternation behavior ratio by DBB ingestion in the scopolamine-induced amnesia model, suggesting that DBB may improve working memory impairment via activation of the histaminergic neuron system. Bonito (skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis) is known as katsuo in Japan and is very familiar to Japanese people from ancient times. Dried bonito broth (katsuobushi-dashi, DBB), a hot-water extract of dried bonito muscle, is ubiquitous in the Japanese diet, enhancing the taste and flavor of dishes (12,19). DBB has also traditionally been considered a folk remedy for fatigue in the southern part of Japan. In previous works, DBB was confirmed to be effective against fatigue in animal and human studies (22,32). We demonstrated that the daily ingestion of DBB by humans improves mood, especially by alleviating mental fatigue (31), and that it increases performance on a simple calculation task (21). However, the mechanisms underlying the ability of DBB to increase task performance are not yet known. The brain neurotransmitter histamine is synthesized from histidine by tuberomammillary nuclei neurons of the posterior hypothalamus, and histaminergic neurons are projected to almost all areas of the cerebral cortex (34). Histamine is known to be involved in behavioral and neurobiological functions such as sleep-cycle maintenance and adjustment (16,37), eating behavior and energy metabolism (17,26,36), stress response (38,40), and learning and mem-

Effective prevention of sorafenib-induced hand–foot syndrome by dried-bonito broth

“…In addition, the various amino acids contained in the DBB 12 , 15 cause this phenomenon. Interestingly, DBB has also been reported to improve fatigue, 15 mood, 16 and cognitive function 17 and has antioxidative properties, 18 and it might have contributed to maintain the patients’ general condition and prolong SOR treatment period. The limitation of our study is that it was designed as an exploratory and pragmatic clinical trial and has several methodological deficiencies with major group imbalances.…”

Alterations of gut microbiota contribute to the progression of unruptured intracranial aneurysms

“…To investigate whether taurine, L-histidine, or linoleic acid has significant implications for UIA progression and therapeutic intervention, one week after fecal transplantation, mice were fed taurine at 150 mg/day 60 , L-histidine at 500 mg/day 61 or linoleic acid at 20 mg/day 62 by gavage until they developed neurological symptoms or until day 21 after pump implantation if the mouse did not have neurological signs. Vehicle groups of mice received only saline by gavage at the same time points.…”

Eating for 3.8 × 1013: Examining the Impact of Diet and Nutrition on the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis Through the Lens of Microbial Endocrinology

“…Human consumption of dried bonito flakes has been associated with improved mood and reduced fatigue (59). Oral ingestion of histidine was demonstrated to improve working memory and attentiveness in healthy volunteers (60) and animals (61).…”