Characterization of structure and antioxidant activity of exopolysaccharides from endophytic Lysinibacillus sphaericus Ya6 under acid-base stress

In this study, the structure and antioxidant activity of exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by Lysinibacillus sphaericus Ya6 under different acid-base stresses were investigated. The structure of EPS was analyzed by UV-visible and mid-IR, and the monosaccharide composition and the molecular weight were determined by High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance gel permeation chromatography respectively. The findings indicated that EPS produced by Lysinibacillus sphaericus Ya6 was a homogenous polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 79.25 kDa that was composed of mannose and glucose. The molecular weight and monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides changed under acid-base stress conditions. With the addition of the acid-base stress level, the logarithmic growth period of Lysinibacillus sphaericus Ya6 was prolonged for a short while, but later growth rates and EPS production under stress conditions were all higher than under the control. In vitro determinations found that acid-base stress boosted the antioxidant activity of EPS. Particularly under conditions of alkaline stress, DPPH radical scavenging capacity and superoxide anion scavenging of EPS were higher than those of the control, and their capacities to scavenge DPPH was increased from 39.30% (the control) to 95.65% at pH 10.0, which was close to ascorbic acid's (95.77%) as a positive control.