Poly (Lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA)-based compounds for articular cartilage regeneration

Abstract

The most famous artificial polymers for cartilage regeneration constructs are poly lactic acid (PLA, which is present in both L and D forms), poly-glycolic acid (PGA), and their copolymer poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA). PLGA shows high biocompatibility, a potential to break down into safe monomer units, a beneficial range of mechanical characteristics, and governable degradation time depending on the copolymer ratio. In this review we critically focused on PLGA applications such as scaffolds and carriers for bioactive agents such as drugs, growth factors, and other bioactive molecules in order to safely delivering to cartilage tissue for reconstructing articular cartilage (AC) defects. © 2016 by Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.