N-carboxyethylchitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite (NCECS/HA) composite films were fabricated and their potential applications in guiding bone regeneration were investigated in terms of their in vitro cellular activity. Fourier ransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to investigate the structure and composition of the composite film. Field Emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed that HA nanoparticles were dispersed homogeneously in NCECS matrix. The composite film has sufficient mechanical properties for tissue engineering scaffold. The composite film was found to have better cartilage cell adhesion and growth than pure NCECS film. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.