Hypocholesterolemic effect of katsuobushi, smoke-dried bonito, prevents ovarian hormone deficiency-induced hypercholesterolemia.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether katsuobushi, smoked-dried bonito (KB), which is a traditional Japanese food, prevents ovarian hormone deficiency-induced hypercholesterolemia. In experiment 1, ovariectomized rats (OVX-rats) were fed a purified diet containing casein or KB. Compared with the casein diet, the KB diet reduced the plasma cholesterol concentration and apparent protein digestibility, and increased the fecal dry weight and fecal bile acid excretion. In experiment 2, OVX-rats were fed one of the following four diets: casein diet containing corn oil or fish oil (CA/CO or CA/FO), or a diet containing the digested or undigested fraction of KB after treatment with microbial protease (KBE or KBR). KBR contains mainly two components: oil and protease-undigested protein of KB origin. In comparison with the CA/CO diet, the KBE diet did not affect the plasma and liver lipids concentrations, apparent protein digestibility nor fecal bile acid excretion. However, the KBR and CA/FO diets reduced the plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations and the liver total lipid and TAG concentrations, but increased the liver total and esterified cholesterol concentrations. The KBR diet increased fecal bile acid excretion and fecal dry weight, whereas the CA/FO diet did not. Thus, the preventive effect of KB on the ovarian hormone deficiency-associated increase in plasma cholesterol concentration appears to be mediated by an increase in bile acid excretion through a promoted secretion of bile acids by the binding of bile acids to resistant proteins.