Molecules (Jun 2022)

Lignin as a Natural Carrier for the Efficient Delivery of Bioactive Compounds: From Waste to Health

  • Federico Verdini,
  • Emanuela Calcio Gaudino,
  • Erica Canova,
  • Silvia Tabasso,
  • Paria Jafari Behbahani,
  • Giancarlo Cravotto

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27113598
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 11
p. 3598

Abstract

Read online

Lignin is a fascinating aromatic biopolymer with high valorization potentiality. Besides its extensive value in the biorefinery context, as a renewable source of aromatics lignin is currently under evaluation for its huge potential in biomedical applications. Besides the specific antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of lignin, that depend on its source and isolation procedure, remarkable progress has been made, over the last five years, in the isolation, functionalization and modification of lignin and lignin-derived compounds to use as carriers for biologically active substances. The aim of this review is to summarize the current state of the art in the field of lignin-based carrier systems, highlighting the most important results. Furthermore, the possibilities and constraints related to the physico–chemical properties of the lignin source will be reviewed herein as well as the modifications and processing required to make lignin suitable for the loading and release of active compounds.

Keywords