Huang Qing, Jiang Fei, Shuai Li, Zhao Chengke
College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Dec;283(Pt 2):137694. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.137694. Epub 2024 Nov 15.
Conventional lignin, a dehydrogenated polymer derived primarily from hydroxycinnamic alcohol monomers, exhibits relatively low antioxidant and ultraviolet (UV)-blocking activities due to its structural imperfection. Herein, we demonstrated that the dehydrogenated polymer of ferulic acid (an unconventional lignin precursor) (FAL) had excellent antioxidant and UV-blocking properties. Structural characterization showed that FAL contains abundant dihydrobenzofuran and butyrolactone structures, free phenolic hydroxyl groups, and cinnamic acid end groups. Such structural characteristics endow FAL with much higher antioxidant activity and broader and stronger UV absorptivity (especially UVA) than conventional lignins. Our investigation showed that FAL could significantly improve the UV-blocking property of commercial SPF30 and SPF50 and render a relatively light color. These versatile properties make the FAL a potential ingredient for application in sunscreen products. This work is enlightening not only for exploring better antioxidant and UV-blocking polymers from the dehydrogenated polymers of phenolic compounds but also for biosynthesizing more advantageous lignin in plants.
传统木质素是一种主要由羟基肉桂醇单体衍生而来的脱氢聚合物，由于其结构上的缺陷，抗氧化和紫外线（UV）阻挡活性相对较低。在此，我们证明了阿魏酸（一种非常规木质素前体）的脱氢聚合物（FAL）具有优异的抗氧化和紫外线阻挡性能。结构表征表明，FAL含有丰富的二氢苯并呋喃和丁内酯结构、游离酚羟基和肉桂酸端基。这些结构特征赋予FAL比传统木质素更高的抗氧化活性以及更宽更强的紫外线吸收能力（尤其是UVA）。我们的研究表明，FAL能显著提高市售SPF30和SPF50产品的紫外线阻挡性能，并使其颜色相对变浅。这些多功能特性使FAL成为防晒产品中一种潜在的应用成分。这项工作不仅对于从酚类化合物的脱氢聚合物中探索更好的抗氧化和紫外线阻挡聚合物具有启发性，而且对于在植物中生物合成更具优势的木质素也具有启发性。
