Issue 19, 2024

Biological applications of lipoic acid-based polymers: an old material with new promise

Abstract

Lipoic acid (LA) is a versatile antioxidant that has been used in the treatment of various oxidation–reduction diseases over the past 70 years. Owing to its large five-membered ring tension, the dynamic disulfide bond of LA is highly active, enabling the formation of poly(lipoic acid) (PLA) via ring-opening polymerization (ROP). Herein, we first summarize disulfide-mediated ROP polymerization strategies, providing basic routes for designing and preparing PLA-based materials. PLA, as a biologically derived, low toxic, and easily modified material, possesses dynamic disulfide bonds and universal non-covalent carboxyl groups. We also shed light on the biomedical applications of PLA-based materials based on their biological and structural features and further divide recent works into six categories: antibacterial, anti-inflammation, anticancer, adhesive, flexible electronics, and 3D-printed tissue scaffolds. Finally, the challenges and future prospects associated with the biomedical applications of PLA are discussed.

Graphical abstract: Biological applications of lipoic acid-based polymers: an old material with new promise

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
20 Mrz 2024
Accepted
12 Apr 2024
First published
16 Apr 2024

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2024,12, 4574-4583

Biological applications of lipoic acid-based polymers: an old material with new promise

Q. Yu, Z. Fang, S. Luan, L. Wang and H. Shi, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2024, 12, 4574 DOI: 10.1039/D4TB00581C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements