Free Radic Res. 2002 May; 36(5): 583-92.

Protective effect of colored rice over white rice on Fenton reaction-based renal lipid peroxidation in rats.

Toyokuni S, Itani T, Morimitsu Y, Okada K, Ozeki M, Kondo S, Uchida K, Osawa T, Hiai H, Tashiro T.

Department of Pathology and Biology of Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan. toyokuni@path1.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Rice has been one of the most important grains. While polished white rice is favored, colored strains of rice, red, or black, have been maintained for religious purposes in Japan. We studied whether feeding of unpolished colored rice instead of white rice ameliorates oxidative renal tubular damage in rats induced by ferric nitrilotriacetate. Whereas renal lipid peroxidation was exacerbated in white rice-fed group in comparison with standard chow group, this exacerbation was not observed in red or black rice-fed groups. These changes were dependent on the proportion of colored rice to standard chow in the diet. Cyanidin 3-O-beta-D-glucoside was detectable neither in the serum nor kidney after one week of colored rice diet, but serum protocatechuic acid was significantly increased after black rice diet. There was a generalized decrease in the renal glutathione peroxidase activity in rice diet groups. Renal enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase and NAD(P)H quinone reductase were not associated with the levels of lipid peroxidation. However, renal catalase activity was significantly increased in black rice-fed groups. These may partly explain the antioxidative effect. Furthermore, colored strains of rice are rich in proteins. Thus, our data warrants further investigation of the antioxidative effect of colored rice.