Objective

To study the preliminary antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of polysaccharide extracted from Lycoris aurea.

Methods

The scavenging activities of the polysaccharide in vitro on superoxide radical (O2-*), hydroxyl radical (*OH), alkyl radical (R*) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were investigated by modified chemical systems. Meanwhile, the antimicrobial activities were tested using paper-discagar diffusion method.

Results

In general, the antioxidant activities of the polysaccharide were lower compared with Vc. However, the scavenging effects to *OH and H2O2 were parallel to Vc. Meanwhile, polysaccharide from Lycoris aurea had strong antimicrobial activities against Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus pumilus and Staphylococcus aureus.

Conclusion

The polysaccharide extracted from L. aurea can scavenge *OH and H2O2 effectively and inhibit Gram-positive bacterias.