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PubMed · 16703779

Poly-L-lactic acid: an overview.

Pahala Simamora·Wendy Chern
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Abstract

In August 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)-based injectable medical device for restoration and/or correction of the signs of facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in people with human immunodeficiency virus. As a result, the properties of the PLLA microparticles have received considerable interest from the medical community. Polylactides have a long-standing history of safe use in medical applications, such as pins, plates, screws, intra-bone and soft-tissue implants, and as vectors for sustained release of bioactive compounds. The L-isomer of polylactic acid is a biodegradable, biocompatible, biologically inert, synthetic polymer. Putatively, PLLA microparticles initiate neocollagenesis as a result of a normal foreign-body reaction to their presence. The build-up of collagen over time creates volume at the site of injection, while the PLLA microparticles are metabolized to carbon dioxide and water and expelled through the respiratory system.

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Absorbable ImplantsAnimalsBiocompatible MaterialsClinical Trials as TopicCosmetic TechniquesDisease Models, AnimalDrug ApprovalFollow-Up StudiesHIV-Associated Lipodystrophy SyndromeHumansIn Vitro TechniquesInjections, IntralesionalLactic AcidPolyestersPolymersProstheses and ImplantsRisk AssessmentTreatment OutcomeUnited StatesUnited States Food and Drug AdministrationComparative StudyJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tReview

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Pahala Simamora, Wendy Chern. 2006. Poly-L-lactic acid: an overview.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16703779/

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