title: Large-scale cultivation of human melanocytes using collagen-coated Sephadex beads (cytodex 3).
abstract: Pure melanocytes were obtained from the epidermis of human foreskin by a modification of a previously described method in which geneticin was added for selective killing of fibroblasts. Purity of the culture was confirmed by light and electron microscopy and by the use of a monoclonal antibody NKI-beteb, which is specific for a vesicular membrane antigen present on melanocytes. Melanocytes were tested for their affinity to several microcarriers. They attached to cytodex 1 and 3 and dorma cell, but they did not attach to glass and gelatin beads. The best results were obtained with cytodex 3. After an almost immediate and total attachment of melanocytes a fourfold to fivefold increase in cell number was achieved on this microcarrier within 3 weeks. With the results obtained, it seems that the collagen-coated cytodex 3 microcarrier surface supports the growth of melanocytes. Preliminary results obtained with a microcarrier cell culture fermenter clearly indicate that the large-scale cultivation of normal human melanocytes in such an automated system is possible.
authors: Department of Dermatology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: N P
authors: NP
authors: Smit
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Westerhof
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: Asghar
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Pavel
authors: A H
authors: AH
authors: Siddiqui
mesh_terms: D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002455:Cell Division; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003094:Collagen; D003911:Dextrans; D006801:Humans; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008863:Microspheres
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D003094:Collagen; C025614:sephadex