Micro- or nano-surface topography of a biomaterial can improve various cellular activities for obtaining functional tissues. Electrospun fibers can gain further functionality when introduced topographic details to their surfaces. In this regard, we produced random and aligned polycaprolactone (PCL) micron/submicron fibers by the electrospinning method. Simultaneously, the surface structure of the fibers was altered by applying phase separation processes including non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) and vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS) mechanisms. As a result, PCL fibers with porous, wrinkled, grooved, and crater-like morphology were obtained. Human dermal fibroblasts (BJ cells) and human keratinocytes (HS2) were cultured onto the fiber surfaces and the data were evaluated in terms of cell-material interactions. Results showed that not only the orientation of fibers but also fiber topography affected both cell-fiber and cell-cell interactions in different manners. It was observed that the wrinkled topography is the most suitable for both dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes in terms of cell attachment and proliferation. We also concluded that cellular behavior was varied according to the morphology of the cells used. Morphological observations showed that HS2 cells proliferated more intensively on all surfaces compared to BJ cells. All these findings can be evaluated in terms of the design of tissue scaffolds, especially in skin tissue engineering.
Keywords: Electrospinning; Human dermal fibroblasts; Human keratinocytes; Nanotopography; PCL; Phase separation mechanisms.
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