title: Poly-L-lactic acid: an overview.
abstract: In August 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)-based injectable medical device for restoration and/or correction of the signs of facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in people with human immunodeficiency virus. As a result, the properties of the PLLA microparticles have received considerable interest from the medical community. Polylactides have a long-standing history of safe use in medical applications, such as pins, plates, screws, intra-bone and soft-tissue implants, and as vectors for sustained release of bioactive compounds. The L-isomer of polylactic acid is a biodegradable, biocompatible, biologically inert, synthetic polymer. Putatively, PLLA microparticles initiate neocollagenesis as a result of a normal foreign-body reaction to their presence. The build-up of collagen over time creates volume at the site of injection, while the PLLA microparticles are metabolized to carbon dioxide and water and expelled through the respiratory system.
authors.affiliation: Sanofi-Aventis, Berwyn, PA 19312, USA. Pahala.Simamora@sanofi-aventis.com
authors.forename: Pahala
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simamora
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chern
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017277:Drug Approval; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D039682:HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D019344:Lactic Acid; C033616:poly(lactide)