In vitro proliferation of human epidermal melanocytes biopsied from multiple anatomical sites

Vitiligo is an acquired disease that involves low pigment variation in the skin. The use of cultured melanocytes for treatment of recalcitrant vitiligo has become a well-established treatment modality. In vitro cultured melanocytes present an effective autologous transplantation treatment modality for vitiligo. The present study investigated the in vitro culture of epidermal melanocytes sampled from multiple body parts, as well as the differences in total propagation time.

Skin specimens were collected from 30 participants (14 males and 16 females) who supplied normal colored skin sections from various regions of their body, including the face, chest, abdomen, buttock, and extremities. Subsequently, all of these specimens were treated with an identical melanocyte purification and culturing process.

Melanocytes from the face demonstrated the most rapid growth and longest total propagation time. Melanocytes from the buttock, abdomen, and extremities displayed similar results to one another, and melanocytes from the chest and back had the slowest growth and shortest total propagation time.

Selecting the most favorable site to obtain epidermal melanocytes will reduce the required quantity of skin and culturing time, and maximize the growth and total propagation time of melanocytes. Therefore, care should be exercised when selecting the region of skin when culturing epidermal melanocytes.