Nanotechnology in orthopedic surgery: Advances, applications, and future directions

Abstract

Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising platform in orthopedic medicine, offering potential solutions to persistent challenges in implant integration, bone regeneration, cartilage repair, and oncologic drug delivery. This narrative review summarizes recent advancements in orthopedic nanotechnology and critically evaluates their translational readiness. A structured literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (2010–2026), including peer-reviewed English-language studies on implant surface modification, bone tissue engineering, cartilage and meniscus regeneration, and targeted cancer therapeutics. Most available evidence remains preclinical ( in vitro and animal studies), with limited human clinical data. Nanostructured surfaces have demonstrated improved osteoblast adhesion and early osseointegration in preclinical models. Nanofibrous scaffolds enhance mechanical strength and guide stem-cell differentiation, while stimuli-responsive nanocarriers promote chondrogenesis and support meniscal repair. In orthopedic oncology, functionalized nanocarriers enable passive and active tumor targeting and may overcome multidrug resistance. Future progress will depend on standardized safety guidelines, scalable manufacturing approaches, and the integration of artificial intelligence-driven nanomaterial design an emerging field in which machine-learning models are increasingly used to predict nanoparticle behavior, optimize surface chemistry, and accelerate biomaterial discovery.