Development of chitosan based multifunctional nanostructured systems for cartilage tissue engineering

In the present work, we report the design and development of multifunctional chitosan (CS)-based hybrid porous nanocomposites (CPIQ I-III) through incorporation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) within the CS matrix, followed by functional tagging with magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles as a magnetic unit and carbon dots (C-QDs) as a fluorescent unit for cartilage tissue engineering application. The synergistic integration of polymeric and inorganic components enhanced mechanical stability, structural integrity, and antibacterial performance while generating a highly porous architecture that mimics native cartilage extracellular matrix. Among the developed formulations, CPIQ II was selected as the optimized formulation based on an overall assessment of its physicochemical, morphological, mechanical, porosity, antibacterial, and biological properties, rather than mechanical performance alone. The incorporation of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and C-QDs further enabled bimodal imaging, facilitating non-invasive visualization and monitoring. In addition, real-time in vitro chondrocyte proliferation and adhesion studies have been conducted to evaluate cytocompatibility and tissue regeneration potential. Overall, this study developed an advanced, multifunctional carbohydrate-based hybrid scaffold capable of supporting cartilage regeneration while enabling simultaneous imaging and healing monitoring, offering a promising platform for next-generation tissue engineering applications.