BACKGROUND Biodegradable polymers have increasingly been recognized for various biological applications in recent years. Here we examined the immunostimulatory activities of the novel poly(aspartic acid) conjugated with L-lysine (PLA). METHODS PLA was synthesized by conjugating L-lysine to aspartic acid polymer. PLA-nanoliposomes (PLA-NLs) were prepared from PLA using a microfluidizer. The im...

This website provides an excellent overview of PLA as a polymer, its properties, and manufacture. This web article describes the production of lactic acid from biomass by microbial fermentation coupled to a poly-merization process to make PLA. The article is a bit dated and its industrial projections are now seen to be a bit over-optimistic. NatureWorks is the company that started large-scale p...

Mammalian Group IIA phospholipases A(2) (PLA(2)) potently kill Staphylococcus aureus. Highly cationic properties of these PLA(2) are important for Ca(2+)-independent binding and cell wall penetration, prerequisites for Ca(2+)-dependent degradation of membrane phospholipids and bacterial killing. To further delineate charge properties of the bacterial envelope important in Group IIA PLA(2) actio...

Objective(s): Due to nanocomposites antimicrobial properties, one of the most extensive usages of nano-products is in packing industry. Thus, the production of packages with nanotechnology can effectively prevent against a variety of microorganisms. In this study, the silicon dioxide nanoparticles the poly (lactic acid) PLA films on antimicrobial and permeability was investigated. Methods...

In this article, the biodegradable polylactide/hyaluronic acid (PLA/HA) composites were prepared by a melt blending method. In addition, the acrylic acid grafted polylactide (PLA-g-AA) was studied as an alternative to PLA. The samples were characterized by a fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), an Instron ...

In this study, antibacterial characteristic of silver/poly (lactic acid) nanocomposite (Ag/PLA-NC) films was investigated, while silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were synthesized into biodegradable PLA via chemical reduction method in diphase solvent. Silver nitrate and sodium borohydride were respectively used as a silver precursor and reducing agent in the PLA, which acted as a polymeric matrix ...

In order to overcome the brittleness of polylactide (PLA), reactive core-shell particles (RCS) with polybutadiene as core and methyl methacrylate-co-styrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate as shell were prepared to toughen PLA. Tert-dodecyl mercaptan (TDDM) was used as chain transfer agent to modify the grafting properties (such as grafting degree, shell thickness, internal and external grafting) of t...

Several lines of evidence indicate that phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) plays a crucial role in plant cellular responses through production of linolenic acid, the precursor of jasmonic acid, from membrane phospholipids. Here we report the purification and characterization of a 48-kD PLA(2) from the membrane fractions of leaves of broad bean (Vicia faba). The plant PLA(2) was purified to near homoge...

The management of fishery residues and plastics is considered to be a vital strategy for conserving resources and maintaining the quality of the environment. Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) is a commercially promising, renewable, and biodegradable plastic. In this study, a PLA depolymerase was produced in a squid pen powder (SPP) and recycled plastic waste (PLA powder)-containing medium by Pseudomona...

The phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) enzymes are activated by binding to phospholipid membranes. Although the N-terminal alpha-helix of group I/II PLA(2)s plays an important role in the productive mode membrane binding of the enzymes, its role in the structural aspects of membrane-induced activation of PLA(2)s is not well understood. In order to elucidate membrane-induced conformational changes in t...