The purpose of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial and antioxidative activities of Chinese leek. Allium odorum Linn. and Allium hookeri Thwaites were extracted with three times of ethyl alcohol. The extracts was then partitioned by n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butyl alcohol and water. Experimental results indicated that n-hexane and water extracts exhibited no significantly antimicrobial activity. The ethyl acetate extracts especially presented the best antimicrobial activity, and A. odorum L. better than A. hookeri Thwaites. From the results of Ethidium bromide stained, it showed that the dye could cross the broken cell membrane of these bacteria treated with these extracts.
In the analysis of DPPH scavenging activity, n-butyl alcohol extracts exhibited the hightest scavenging activity especially the A. odorum L..Ethyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol and water extracts in A. odorum L. could present the chelating activities. The ethyl acetate extracts showed the greatest reducing power.
