Bioactive Chitosan-Based Organometallic Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering and Regeneration

Captivating achievements in developing advanced hybrid biostructures through integrating natural biopolymers with inorganic materials (e.g., metals and metalloids) have paved the way towards the application of bioactive organometallic scaffolds (OMSs) in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM). Of various biopolymers, chitosan (CS) has been used widely for the development of bioactive OMSs, in large part due to its unique characteristics (e.g., biocompatibility, biodegradability, surface chemistry, and functionalization potential). In integration with inorganic elements, CS has been used to engineer advanced biomimetic matrices to accommodate both embedded cells and drug molecules and serve as scaffolds in TERM. The use of the CS-based OMSs is envisioned to provide a new pragmatic potential in TERM and even in precision medicine. In this review, we aim to elaborate on recent achievements in a variety of CS/metal, CS/metalloid hybrid scaffolds, and discuss their applications in TERM. We also provide comprehensive insights into the formulation, surface modification, characterization, biocompatibility, and cytotoxicity of different types of CS-based OMSs.