Histidine is an essential amino acid that plays important roles in the body. It is necessary for growth, tissue repair, and production of red and white blood cells. Histidine also aids in digestion, nerve coating formation, heavy metal removal, and sexual and immune system functions. A deficiency can cause issues like growth retardation, rheumatoid arthritis, and low hemoglobin. Good dietary sources of histidine include meat, dairy, and grains. Histidine supplements may help treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and mental disorders.

1. HISTIDINE
BY: JOSHUA SELI

2. OBJECTIVES
• Identify Histidine
• Histidine Characteristics
• Histidine Importance‘ and Function
• Food Source

3. WHAT IS HISTIDINE?
• Histidine is both an essential amino acid and non-essential amino acid, has as a positively charged
imidazole functional group.
• The imidazole makes it a common participant in enzyme catalyzed reactions. The unprotonated
imidazole is nucleophilic and can serve as a general base, while the protonated form can serve as a
general acid. The residue can also serve a role in stabilizing the folded structures of proteins.

4. CHARACTERIZATION OF HISTIDINE
• Let's take a look at some of the characteristics of Histidine. The chemical structure of Histidine is
C6H9N3O2. Histidine is notable because it has a ring structure in it's R group that contains two nitrogen
groups. Histidine is characterized as being positively charged. When you are studying Histidine you may
see the abbreviation His or H. Those also refer to Histidine.
• Histidine is an essential amino acid. Histidine

5. 2-amino-3-
(3H-imidazol-4-yl)
propanoic acid
Coded by the genetic code
triplets CAC and CAU in mRNA
Alpha amino acid
Molecular formula:
C6H9N3O2
Molecular weight:
139 Carbon units

6. L - Histidine
D - Histidine
Projected here are the molecular formulas for the amino acid Histidine.
As you can see they are stereoisomers.

7. FUNCTION
It develop and maintain healthy tissues in all parts of the body, particularly the myelin sheaths that coat
nerve cells and ensure the transmission of messages from the brain to various parts of the body. It may be
useful for treatment of mental disorders as well as certain types of sexual dysfunction.
• Histidine levels in the body must be balanced to ensure good mental and physical health. High levels of
this amino acid have been linked to the presence of psychological disorders such as anxiety and
schizophrenia, while low levels of Histidine are thought contribute to the development of rheumatoid
arthritis and the type of deafness that results from nerve damage. Taking Histidine supplements may
help relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Histidine is important to normal sexual functioning, because it gets converted into histamine, a
chemical needed to stimulate sexual arousal. When taken together with vitamin B3 (niacin) and vitamin
B6 (pyridoxine), Histidine can increase sexual pleasure by boosting histamine levels in the body.
Histamine is also needed to help the immune system know when the body is experiencing an allergic
reaction, and for the production of gastric juices needed for normal digestion.
• Research suggests that Histidine also acts as a natural detoxifier, protecting against radiation damage,
and removing heavy metals from the system. It may even help prevent the onset of AIDS— Histidine is
crucial to the production of both red and white blood cells.

8. IMPORTANCE OF HISTIDINE
Histidine facilitates the growth and repair of all body tissue. It manufactures white and red blood cells. It is
key in the manufacture and maintenance of oligo-dendrocytes that wrap around nerves forming myelin, a
protective sheath, thus preventing unintended impulses that lead to spinal cord and brain defects.
Histidine removes surplus heavy metals and protects from radiation. It aids in digestion by producing
gastric juices.

9. FOOD SOURCE
• Like other amino acids, Histidine is found in many high-protein foods, such as meat and dairy products,
as well as grains such as rice, wheat, and rye. It is not certain if histidine is an essential or non-essential
amino acid—most health experts agree that, although the body manufactures its own histidine, it is
fairly easy for natural supplies to run short.

10. HISTIDINE RELATED DISEASES
• Kidney Chronic Disorder,
• Schizophrenia, or Mental disorder
• Anxiety, etc…
BIOLOGICAL APPLICATION
• Daily dosage requirement is recommended
as 8-10 mg/day/kg of body weight.
• The liver or kidney disorders and the people suffering from schizophrenia should not take the Histidine
supplements without asking for advices from the doctors.

11. SUMMARY
• Histidine (His, H), an alpha-amino acid, has the molecular formula C6H9N3O2
• Histidine is necessary for human because it takes part in some important processes that occurs in the
body
• The person who lack of Histidine, especially lacking of Histidine during the infancy, may suffer from
some diseases such as growth retardation or mental retardation
• Adult who is deficient of Histidine also has some problems such as low hemoglobin level in blood, and
rheumatoid arthritis.
• Taking Histidine supplements is helpful for patients of rheumatoid arthritis or mental disorders.
• We can easily find Histidine in high-protein food, dairy products and grain.

12. REFERENCES
Amino Science. Visited Oct 30th, 2008. From:
http://www.ajinomoto.co.jp/amino/e_aminoscience/bc/amino_08.html
Vitamin Stuff. Visited Oct 24th, 2008. From:
www.vitaminstuff.com/amino-acid-histidine.html
Any Vitamins. Visited Oct 25th, 2008. From:
www.anyvitamins.com/histidine-info.html
Encyclopedia Britannica. Visited Oct 30th, 2008. From:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/267029/histidine#
Diet and Health. Visited Nov 2nd, 2008. From:
http://www.diet-and-health.net/Nutrients/Histidine.html
Wikimedia.org. Visited Nov 1st, 2008. From:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Histidine_histamine.gif
Klosterfrau Healthcare Group. Visited Oct 29th. From:
www.klosterfrau.com

13. Thank you for your kind attention!