Evaluation of Biological Activities of Exopolysaccharide from Rhodococcus pyridinivorans In vitro

Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are biopolymers in the form of carbohydrates produced by many microorganisms and secreted into the external environment. EPS protects the microorganism from drying, phagocytosis, and phage effects, and acts as a barrier in stress environments such as heat, light and sound. EPSs produced for industrial purposes are generally used in areas such as food, cosmetics, petroleum and chemistry. This study was aimed to investigate in addition to basic physical and chemical properties of R. pyridinovorans EPS, in vitro its biological activities such as antioxidant properties and antiproliferative activity. The antioxidant properties of EPS were determined by DPPH and hydroxyl radical elimination. The antiproliferative activity of EPS on HT-29 and MCF-7 cell lines was determined by MTT assay. The results of study indicate that EPS from R. pyridinovorans have important biological activities. Further studies on structural and mechanism elucidation of the bacterial EPSs are still needed being carried out.