Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Kinetic Studies of Β-Cyclodextrin Crosslinked with Lignin for Drug Delivery

β-Cyclodextrin was attached to lignin/lignin crosslinked by epichlorohydrin and served as a drug delivery matrix. Ketoconazole and piroxicam were added into the polymeric matrix as antifungal and anti-inflammatory agents, respectively. The percentage of drug retained ranged from 48.4% to 58.4% for ketoconazole and piroxicam, respectively. It was found that their tensile strengths increased with decreasing particle size, ranging between 59% and 71% for lignin crosslinked with β-cyclodextrin base matrix (LCD). Depending on the polymeric matrix, the drug release kinetics fit well in the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, with or without Fickian diffusion. From the materials based on the mixture of epoxidized lignin and β-cyclodextrin, the medicines were released more slowly (the release rate constant presents lower values ranging between 1.117 and 1.783), as compared with those comprising LCD (2.210–4.824). The materials were also demonstrated to have antimicrobial activity. The antioxidant activity of LCD loaded with piroxicam was found to be 23.9% greater than that of the base matrix (LCD). These findings could be useful towards β-cyclodextrin attached to lignin formulation development of drug carriers with antioxidant activity.