We report on the screening for biological activities of organic extracts from seven strains that represent four varieties of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans, that is A. pullulans var. melanogenum, A. pullulans var. pullulans, A. pullulans var. subglaciale and A. pullulans var. namibiae. We monitored haemolysis, cytotoxicity, antioxidant capacity and growth inhibition against three bacterial species. The haemolytic activity of A. pullulans var. pullulans EXF-150 strain was due to five different haemolytically active fractions. Extracts from all of the other varieties contained at least one haemolytically active fraction. Short-term exposure of cell lines to these haemolytically active organic extracts resulted in more than 95% cytotoxicity. Strong antioxidant capacity, corresponding to 163.88 μg ascorbic acid equivalent per gram of total solid, was measured in the organic extract of the strain EXF-3382, obtained from A. pullulans var. melanogenum, isolated from the deep sea. Organic extracts from selected varieties of A. pullulans exhibited weak antibacterial activities.
Keywords: Aureobasidium pullulans; antibacterial activity; antioxidant activity; cytotoxicity; haemolysis.