Kurosu, a traditional vinegar produced from unpolished rice, suppresses lipid peroxidation in vitro and in mouse skin.

The in vitro antioxidative activities of various kinds of vinegar were investigated by using a linoleic acid autoxidation model detected by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method and the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical system. An ethyl acetate extract of Kurosu (EK), a vinegar made from unpolished rice, exhibited the highest antioxidative activity in both systems. EK (5 mg) inhibited 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced edema formation (14%) and myeloperoxidase activity (52%, P< 0.01) in female ICR mouse skin. Furthermore, EK significantly suppressed double TPA application-induced H2O2 generation (53%, P< 0.01) and lipid peroxidation determined by the TBA-reacting substance level (95 %, P< 0.01). In a two-stage carcinogenesis experiment with dimethylbenz[a]anthracene/TPA, EK significantly reduced the number of tumors per mouse by 36% (P<0.05) at 15 weeks after promotion. These results suggest that the antitumor-promoting effect may be partially due to the antioxidative properties of EK such as the decomposition of free radicals and interference with free radical-generating leukocytes.