Abstract: The antioxidant activities of ethanol extracts from the mycelia and fruit bodies of twenty polypores fungi were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. Meanwhile, these extracts were tested for their anti-tumor activities by Alamar Blue method. The results showed that the DPPH free radical scavenging and anti-tumor activities of the extracts from fruit bodies of each of these fungi were significantly higher than those of the extracts from mycelia. A DPPH radical scavenging rate of 70% was observed for the ethanol extract of fruit body at a concentration of 5 mg/mL, and the inhibition rates of the ethanol extract against two cancer cell lines such as non-small lung cancer cell NCI-H460 and human hepatoma cell HepG2 were both around 90% at 500 μg/mL. In addition, compared with the normal cell lines, a slightly low inhibition rate of the ethanol extract on drug-resistant cells such as Bel-7402/5-Fu was also observed.

Key words: polypores, antioxidation, DPPH free radical, anti-tumor activity