Bioresource of Antioxidant and Potential Medicinal Compounds from Waste Biomass of Spruce

The bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies) has been a source of medications for centuries. Despite that, bark is a waste biomass produced by wood industry in million tons annually. The most abundant compounds obtained from hexane extracts of bark were sterols and terpenes subjected to in silico analysis. Their absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion properties and possible types of biological activities were predicted. Abietic acid, dehydroabietic acid and β-caryophyllene oxide originated from bark of Norway spruce had most likely antihypercholesterolemic, mucomembranous protecting and antineoplastic activity, respectively. An important discovery was estimation of their pharmaceutically relevant properties. Isolated fractions that were rich in these compounds (contained them up to 30%) displayed excellent trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (15 mM/mg dm), which was 2.5 times greater than the source of powerful antioxidant, pycnogenol. Antioxidant activity of extracts and fractions determined using a DPPH assay were moreover investigated by EPR analysis of prolongation ascorbyl radical lifetime and rapid oxidation in lard. We found out that bark is an alternative feedstock of compounds with a potential antioxidant and medicinal activity that may replace synthetic drugs. Healing effect, antioxidant capacity, prolongation of ascorbyl radical lifetime and stabilization of lipids with compounds of spruce bark have not yet been published.