The MelanoDermTM Skin Model
MelanoDerm-Specific Features:- Co-Culture of Human Keratinocytes and Melanocytes
- Human 3-D Skin-Like Tissue Structure
- Black, Caucasian or Asian Melanocytes Available
- Progressive, Macroscopic Darkening
- Ideal for Skin Lightening/Whitening Studies, Melanogenesis Research
General MatTek Tissue Features:- Unsurpassed Long-Term Tissue Reproducibility -
Lot-to-Lot, Year-to-Year - 3-Dimensional, Highly Differentiated Tissues
- Metabolically, Mitotically Active Tissues
- Produced in Easily Handled Cell Culture Inserts
- Grown in Completely Serum-Free Media System
- Quantifiable, Objective Test Endpoints
- Cost Effective Alternative to Animal and Human Clinical Testing
NOTE: Link to MelanoDerm Technical Specifications
MatTek's MelanoDerm™ System consists of normal, human-derived epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) and melanocytes (NHM) which have been cultured to form a multilayered, highly differentiated model of the human epidermis. The NHM within co-cultures undergo spontaneous melanogenesis leading to tissues of varying levels of pigmentation. The tissues are produced using serum free medium without artificial stimulators of melanogenesis such as TPA and IBMX. The cultures are grown on cell culture inserts at the air-liquid interface, allowing for topical application of skin lighteners or self-tanning agents. Thus, the model provides a useful in vitro means to evaluate cosmetic and pharmaceutical agents designed to modulate skin pigmentation.
The MelanoDerm Skin Model exhibits in vivo-like morphological and ultrastructural characteristics which are uniform and highly reproducible. NHM localized in the basal cell layer of MelanoDerm are dendritic and spontaneously produce melanin granules which progressively populate the layers of tissue. When cultured for up to 3 weeks (post-shipment), cultures become increasingly pigmented with retention of normal epithelial morphology. Cultures containing NHM derived from black donors show increased pigmentation versus those containing Caucasian-derived or Asian-derived NHM; all three types of cultures are distinctly darker than NHM-free cultures (EpiDerm™). The topical application of known inhibitors of melanogenesis significantly reduce melanin production and macroscopic darkening. Conversely, NHM within the tissue will respond to known stimulants of melanogenesis, such as -melanocyte stimulating hormone and -fibroblast growth factor, to produce tissues which darken faster than untreated controls. Various cosmetic and pharmaceutical laboratories are actively seeking alternatives to expensive and time consuming clinical and whole animal testing. Many companies have initiated MelanoDerm testing to assess the ability of their raw materials and final product formulations to modulate skin pigmentation. A growing body of data demonstrates that MelanoDerm provides an inexpensive, effective means of assessing various skin pigmentation issues while avoiding species extrapolation and the use of laboratory animals.
The protocols for using the MelanoDerm System are clear and straightforward. The organotypic cultures allow for topical or subcutaneous application of melanogenesis inhibitors or stimulators. Analytical methods have been developed to evaluate melanocyte dendricity and viability, pigment granule transfer to adjacent keratinocytes, bulk darkening of tissue, and total melanin content and synthesis rates. Finally, technicians find MelanoDerm's rigid substrate design easy to handle and manipulate.
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Figure 1: Comparison of macroscopic darkening in
MelanoDermTM
tissue (MEL-300) containing melanocytes harvested from black or caucasion donors
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Figure 4: Effect on macroscopic darkening of ascorbic acid applied topically or added to medium (MEL-300-B).
(Click on photo to see larger image.)
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Figure 5: Melanin assay results for MEL-300-B tissue treated with ascorbic acid (50 ug/ml).
(Click on photo to see larger image.)
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Figure 6: Unstained histological cross-section of MEL-300-B tissue cultured in -LLMM for 7 days showing melanin granule population of tissue. Final Magnification = 360X. (Click on photo to see larger image.)
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(Note: There are no In Vitro Product prices on this Web site.)
Please Also Review:
Guide to In Vitro Tissue Model Basics
MelanoDerm Specification Sheet
MelanoDerm Technical References
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