Synthesis and biomedical applications of functional poly(α-hydroxyl acid)s

Poly(α-hydroxyl acid)s (PAHAs) are an important class of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers. However, biomedical applications of conventional PAHAs have been restricted by the lack of functional groups. Therefore, recently there have been significant research activities to design and synthesize functional PAHAs, and subsequently investigate their applications in biomedical areas. In this review, we present an overview on synthesis and biomedical applications of functional PAHAs. The synthetic approaches to incorporate functionalities with PAHAs as pendent groups are addressed. Applications of these functional PAHAs in drug delivery, gene delivery, co-delivery of drugs and genes, and functionalization with biomolecules are highlighted.