RESUMO
In this work, a native exopolysaccharide (nEPS) produced by Halomonas desertis G11 isolated from a Tunisian extreme environment was modified by gamma irradiation. Characterization as well as the antioxidant and antitumor activities of nEPS and its gamma-irradiated derivatives (iEPSs) were comparatively evaluated. In vitro and in vivo antioxidant potentials were determined by using different methods and through different antioxidant enzymes. The antitumor activity was checked against a human colon cancer cell line. Analyses of the complete genome sequence were carried out to identify genes implicated in the production of nEPS. Thus, the genomic biosynthesis pathway and the export mechanism of nEPS were proposed. Analyses of irradiation data showed that iEPSs acquired new functional groups, lower molecular weights, and gained significantly (p < 0.05) higher antioxidant and antitumor abilities compared with nEPS. These findings provide a basis for using iEPSs as novel pharmaceutical agents for human therapies.