Diverse Biological Activities of Lignins : Structure-Activity Relationship

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(1) Anti-HIV activity of ligninsA class of synthetic lignins (dehydrogenation polymers of p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid) inhibited cytopathogenicity of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection. The polymers inhibited expression of HIV-specific antigen in the infected cells and also inhibited HIV-binding to the cells, but not completely, even at doses that almost completely inhibited the HIV-induced cytopathogenic effect. These results suggest that lignin structure, regardless of whether synthetic or natural, may inhibit HIV replication by an unidentified process, and thus prove to be a new class of anti-HIV agents possibly effective in the treatment of AIDS.(2) Lignins are not mutagenic in bacterial tester strainsFor safety assessment on genotoxicity, lignins and related compounds were tested for mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium tester strains and none of the compounds examined were proved to be mutagenic. This paper also describes a preliminary result on their antimugtagenic property was also demonstrated. Synthetic and some natural lignins suppressed to a remarkable extent mutagenicities of 2-nitrofluorene and 1-nitropyrene.(3) Anti-tumor promoting activity of ligninsAfter 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene was painted on the mouse skin, TPA is effective to promote tumor production. However, when synthetic lignine were administered prior to TPA treatment, tumor production was reduced up to less than 50%.(4) A water extract of coniferous slash pine induced appreciable splenocyte-mitogenesis in he mice. Mitogenesis was induced mainly in B-cell subset of splenocytes. It possible that this extract could be included in a new type of immunomodulator for promotion of the host defense mechanism.