Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharides from Inonotus obliquus

A crude polysaccharide fraction (PIO) from fruit bodies of the medicinal mushroom, Inonotus obliquus, exhibited strong ·OH scavenging activity as measured by the salicylic acid method. PIO also inhibited endogenous and Fe~ 2+ -Cys-induced lipid peroxidation, and mitochondrial swelling induced by the Fe~ 2+ - vitamin C system. It is proposed that the underlying anti-oxidation mechanism involves the initial elimination of ·OH radicals, which in turn suppresses peroxidation and protects membrane systems.