17 - Polylactic coglycolic acid (PLGA)-based green materials for drug delivery

Abstract

Polylactic coglycolic acid (PLGA) is a copolymer of lactic acid and glycolic acid. It is a biodegradable and biocompatible synthetic polymer having wide applications in biomedical and pharmaceutical areas. PLGA is chemically polyester of polylactic acid and polyglycolic acid with excellent physical, chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties that makes it suitable for wide usage. The properties of PLGA like glass transition temperature (Tg) and degree of crystallinity can be altered by modifying in its composition ratio of lactic acid and glycolic acid. PLGA is also compatible with several other polymers as well as its own monomers and is reported for its application in controlled drug delivery. PLGA is now under research focus for its green material development for drug delivery in tissue engineering, replacement of extracellular matrix, dentistry, contraceptives, and implant-based long-term therapy. The unique tailorable properties of PLGA like thermal responsiveness, drug entrapment, degradation kinetics, mechanistic properties, fabrication easiness, and controlled release nature make the PLGA a promising polymer for research. In this chapter, the synthesis, properties, biodegradation, applications, green material composites, significant research findings, challenges, and future scope with major attention on fabrication and characterization are discussed.