The antioxidant beverage EM-X is derived from the ferment of unpolished rice, papaya, and sea-weeds with effective microorganisms. Oxidative stress enhances the expression of proinflammatory genes, causing the release of the chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8), which mediates a multitude of inflammatory events. Human alveolar epithelial cells (A549) were treated with H2O2 (100 muM) or TNF-alpha (10 ng/ml) alone or with the addition of EM-X (100 mul/ml), incubated for 20 h, and the release of IL-8, measured using ELISA. EM-X inhibited the release of IL-8 at the transcriptional level in A549 cells. EM-X also decreased the iron/ascorbate-dependent peroxidation of ox-brain phospholipids in a concentration-dependent manner. A TEAC value of 0.10+/-0.05 mM was obtained for EM-X, indicating antioxidant potential. We suggest that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of EM-X are dependent on the flavonoid contents of the beverage. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.