Summary
Although electrospun polymer nanofibres are widely explored as wound-healing and tissue-regeneration materials, how cells actually behave in contact with them is still poorly understood — knowledge that is essential for designing effective nanofibrillar scaffolds. This study examines how the topography of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibre mats affects human keratinocytes. The randomly oriented nanofibres were found to delay keratinocyte adhesion yet make the cells stronger, markedly change their morphology, raise their metabolic activity and restrict their mobility. Because the pores between fibres are very small, whole cells cannot penetrate the mesh: only flexible parts of a cell slip in while the nucleus remains on the surface, and the random fibre orientation offers no continuous path for cell infiltration.