ProductDescription
Poly(lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA)聽isanubiquitousbiodegradablepolymer.Itistypicallyusedtofabricatemedicaldevicesthatpredictablydegradeovermonthsinphysiologicalconditions.Thewell-researchedreleaseprofilealsoallowsfordrug-releasefunctionalizationwithcalculableresults.聽Dependingontheratiooflactidetoglycolideusedforthepolymerization,differentformsofPLGAcanbeobtained:theseareusuallyidentifiedinregardtothemolarratioofthemonomersused(e.g.PLGA75:25identifiesacopolymerwhosecompositionis75%lacticacidand25%glycolicacid).ThecrystallinityofPLGAswillvaryfromfullyamorphoustofullycrystallinedependingonblockstructureandmolarratio.PLGAstypicallyshowaglasstransitiontemperatureintherangeof40-60聽掳C.PLGAcanbedissolvedbyawiderangeofsolvents,dependingoncomposition.HigherlactidepolymerscanbedissolvedusingchlorinatedsolventswhereashigherglycolidematerialswillrequiretheuseoffluorinatedsolventssuchasHFIP.
Owingtoitsextensivehistory,PLGAisoneofthemostunderstoodandaffordablebiodegradablepolymersformedicaldevicestoday.PLGAhasbeensuccessfulasabiodegradablepolymerbecauseitundergoeshydrolysisinthebodytoproducetheoriginalmonomers,lacticacidandglycolicacid.Thesetwomonomersundernormalphysiologicalconditions,areby-productsofvariousmetabolicpathwaysinthebody.