Preparation of a Carboxymethyl Chitosan Nanocomposite and Its Application in Fracture Repair

In this work, we harnessed the good biocompatibility and biodegradability of nanoparticles by constructing a nanocomposite based on hydroxyapatite/carboxymethyl chitosan (nHAp/CMCS NPs) and using it to heal bone fractures. We used Mesenchymal stem cells to study osteogenesis and bone healing. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the nHAp/CMCS NPs shows that its average particle size is 200±0.53 nm. In vitro experiments show that the nanomaterial has excellent biocompatibility, no cytotoxicity, and significantly promotes the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). In vivo experiments show that nHAp/CMCS NPs have obvious growth-promoting and healing effects on rat bone fractures. Therefore, hydroxyapatite-based nanocomposites provide new treatment strategies for bone formation by BMSCs and fracture healing.