Fabrication and Electrospinning of 3D Biodegradable Poly-l-Lactic Acid (PLLA) Nanofibers for Clinical Application.

ABSTRACT

Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is a biodegradable synthetic polyester synthesized by polymerization or polycondensation. PLLA hydrolytically degrades into lactic acid, a biocompatible metabolic by-product, making it suitable for clinical applications. PLLA scaffolds or nanofibers have been used in various regenerative medicine and drug delivery applications. These scaffolds impart biocompatible properties of high surface area, hydrophobicity, native extracellular properties, and mechanical strength for an organ system. Moreover, PLLA nanofibers hold great promise as drug delivery systems, where fabrication parameters and drug-PLA compatibility greatly affect the drug release kinetics. In this chapter, we present the protocols to fabricate, electrospinning, and validation of 3D PLLA nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering application and offer perspectives on their future use.