In this study, the antimicrobial effect of exopolysaccharide (EPS) extracted from Enterococcus strains [E. durans K48 (MT437,248), E. faecium R114 (MT437,249) and E. faecium T52 (MT437,250)] isolated from Kishk was applied against some foodborne pathogenic bacteria using well diffusion and microdilution methods. The antioxidant activity of EPS was also evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method. The cytotoxicity effect of EPS on human Gingival Fibroblast (HGF) cell line was also assessed. The results obtained by antimicrobial test showed that the most resistant bacteria to the examined EPS was Listeria monocytogenes, and the most susceptible were Staphylococcus aureus and E. faecalis. The results showed that the DPPH inhibitory percentage of EPS (25 mg/mL) from E. durans K48, E. faecium R114, and E. faecium T52 was 53%, 58% and 64%, respectively. EPS from E. faecium T52 displayed the highest reducing power, but statistically, there was no significant difference between the reducing power of EPS T52 and EPS R114 (P ≥ 0.05). The lowest toxicity percentage of EPS k48, EPS T52, and EPS R114 on normal human cell line at a concentration of 0.2 mg/mL was 10%, 15%, and 13%, respectively, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The obtained results in the present study indicate that EPS from the examined LAB strains with no in vitro cytotoxicity can be a potential source of natural antioxidant and antibacterial agent to be used in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords