Poly(lactide)-Based Materials Modified with Biomolecules: A Review.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is an eco-friendly, biocompatible, and biodegradable polymer with good thermomechanical properties.
• PLA offers a sustainable alternative to petroleum-derived polymers, addressing environmental pollution concerns.
• Limitations of pure PLA include brittleness, slow degradation, and low thermal and crystallization resistance, restricting its applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review modification strategies for Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) using biomolecules.
• To explore the enhancement of PLA's bioactivity and properties through chemical or physical modification.
• To present recent developments and research on PLA-based materials modified with polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature focusing on PLA modification techniques.
• Analysis of blending, copolymerization, and composite fabrication methods for PLA.
• Examination of PLA modification with polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Main Results:

• Modification with biomolecules significantly improves PLA's properties, overcoming limitations of the pure polymer.
• PLA-based materials, particularly those modified with polysaccharides and proteins, show promising biomedical and biological applications.
• Various modification strategies have been developed to enhance PLA's bioactivity and performance.

Conclusions:

• Biomolecule modification is a key strategy to enhance Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) for advanced applications.
• Modified PLA materials offer significant potential for biodegradable biomedical devices and packaging.
• Further research into PLA modification holds great practical promise for sustainable materials development.