Research funded by the Australian Forest and Wood Products Association has opened the way for further work in the field of biopharmaceuticals.

African mahoganies (trees, more rarely shrubs or subshrubs, of the family (Meliaceae) in the order Rutales of the dicotyledon class, comprising roughly 50 genera and 1400 species, growing in the tropics and partly in the subtropics, several species of which have very valuable timber) were introduced into northern Australia in the 1960s. Mahoganies are widely grown in commercial plantations and used to reforest rehabilitated mine sites. Now a new use may be found for them in producing medicines to treat life-threatening diseases. In the Australian Forest and Wood Products Association's research, limonoid compounds were identified and isolated from mahogany timber residues, and these share a similar structural complexity, particularly those obtained from natural products. In the research these chemical compounds show considerable biological activity and may have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial or even anti-cancer properties. This is, in fact, the first and most significant step towards discovering a new pharmaceutical use for wood residues. Not only African mahoganies but other tree species too could be used in this way.

Bioactive Laboratories scientist Rick Ferdinand's 2017 study notes that the chemicals contained in the bark are linked to some of the world's most widely used pharmaceuticals, including cancer treatments, anti-inflammatory agents, antimicrobial agents and painkillers. Nor is this confined to pharmaceuticals – they are also useful in veterinary medicine, cosmetics and pest control, and are a source of rare chemicals for biotechnology research and product development.

“The results of the project confirm the first and very important step in discovering new pharmaceuticals from tree production residues,” says R. Ferdinand. “The project points to an innovative approach with potentially very valuable export prospects for a new product.”

Biochemists turn pine wood residues into biopharmaceuticals

The study forms part of the range of innovative solutions from Australian Forest and Wood Products, and builds on the latest discovery by Scion — New Zealand's state forestry, industrial biotechnology and advanced manufacturing research institute — which indicates that the Monterey pines widely found in the country (yielding some 2.5 million tonnes of bark each year) could be a real gold mine for the pharmaceutical industry – provided the bark residues are sent for biorefining.

In a study published last month, biochemical engineer Sumanth Ranganathan has set out the best ways of using bark, explaining that bark accounts for up to 15% of a tree's weight: “Only a small part of it is used, mainly in landscaping (mulch) or for energy production; the rest is left in the forest or at timber processing sites, where it breaks down naturally. The findings point to opportunities to improve extraction, reduce waste and tailor procedures to particular end uses, positioning Pinus radiata bark as a valuable resource in the development of sustainable bioproducts.”