title: Stimulation of cultured melanocytes in medium containing a serum substitute: Ultroser-G.
abstract: Melanocyte cultures were established and maintained routinely in Ham's F-10 medium containing 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), cholera toxin (CT) and fetal calf serum (FCS). Three serum substitutes (Ultroser-G, Nutridoma-Hu and Nutricyte-H) were tested in order to obtain a medium without FCS having a more constant composition. Melanocyte proliferation was examined in long-term culture experiments by in situ cell counts at different periods of time. Only with Ultroser-G (1-2%) was the proliferation of melanocytes maintained without both FCS and CT, whereas the addition of the other two serum substitutes resulted in stabilization of melanocyte densities in the cultures up to 28 days. In the medium containing 1% Ultroser-G and IBMX without TPA minimal or no increases in melanocyte density were found. Addition of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF, 1 ng/ml) to the medium without TPA resulted in a partial restimulation of growth in different experiments. In this system with 1% Ultroser-G and 1 ng/ml bFGF, IBMX could also be replaced by other factors (dbcAMP, LTC4 and a purified form of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone). The culture medium with 1% Ultroser-G containing TPA and IBMX is now used for routine melanocyte culture. In this medium TPA/IBMX can easily be replaced by bFGF/dbcAMP with optimal growth stimulation. The combination bFGF/alpha-MSH and other more physiological stimulators offers an alternative to study responses of melanocytes in culture with respect to proliferation, metabolism, and phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Westerhof
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Menko
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Verbeek
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pavel
mesh_terms: D015056:1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood; D001802:Blood Substitutes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003994:Bucladesine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003470:Culture Media; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D017997:Leukotriene C4 / Q000494:pharmacology; D017998:Leukotriene D4 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001802:Blood Substitutes; D003470:Culture Media; D009930:Organic Chemicals; C044609:Ultroser G; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D017997:Leukotriene C4; D000521:alpha-MSH; D003994:Bucladesine; D017998:Leukotriene D4; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; D015056:1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine