Bioactivity evaluation of four technical lignins: Alcell, Indulin-AT, Sarkanda and Curan 27-11P

In what concerns bioactive properties, and due to its phenolic character, lignin is mostly studied for their antioxidant activity. In this work four technical lignins (Alcell, Indulin-AT, Sarkanda and Curan 27-11P) have been evaluated for their antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power and inhibition of β-carotene bleaching) and antitumor potential against MCF-7, NCI-H460, HCT-15, HeLa and HepG2 cell lines. Additionally, the toxicity for non-tumour cells (PLP2) was also evaluated. The obtained results were correlated with the chemical and structural features of the studied lignins. Based on the achieved results, lignins of GS type, i.e. lignins rich in syringyl phenol units and poor in p-hydroxyphenyl ones result in better antitumor potential.