Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Jan-Feb;30(1):321-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.06.019. Epub 2011 Jul 6.

Poly-lactic acid synthesis for application in biomedical devices - a review

Astrid J R Lasprilla  1 , Guillermo A R Martinez, Betânia H Lunelli, André L Jardini, Rubens Maciel Filho
Affiliations
Review

Poly-lactic acid synthesis for application in biomedical devices - a review

Astrid J R Lasprilla et al. Biotechnol Adv. 2012 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Bioabsorbable polymers are considered a suitable alternative to the improvement and development of numerous applications in medicine. Poly-lactic acid (PLA,) is one of the most promising biopolymers due to the fact that the monomers may produced from non toxic renewable feedstock as well as is naturally occurring organic acid. Lactic acid can be made by fermentation of sugars obtained from renewable resources as such sugarcane. Therefore, PLA is an eco-friendly product with better features for use in the human body (nontoxicity). Lactic acid polymers can be synthesized by different processes so as to obtain products with an ample variety of chemical and mechanical properties. Due to their excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties, PLA and their copolymers are becoming widely used in tissue engineering for function restoration of impaired tissues. In order to maximize the benefits of its use, it is necessary to understand the relationship between PLA material properties, the manufacturing process and the final product with desired characteristics. In this paper, the lactic acid production by fermentation and the polymer synthesis such biomaterial are reviewed. The paper intends to contribute to the critical knowledge and development of suitable use of PLA for biomedical applications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

LinkOut - more resources