Bioreactor microcarrier cell culture system (Bio-MCCS) for large-scale production of autologous melanocytes.

Restoration of cutaneous pigmentation can be achieved in stable vitiligo by autologous cultured melanocyte transplantation. It was the goal of this study to construct a bioreactor microcarrier cell culture system (Bio-MCCS) to produce autologous melanocytes in large scale. In this Bio-MCCS, porcine gelatin microbeads were used as microcarriers, spinning bottle as fermented tank. Autologous melanocytes were able to attach to and proliferate on the gelatin microbeads in serum-free melanocyte medium in the Bio-MCCS, reaching up to 24-fold the cells seeded on day 15 (MTT assay). These autologous melanocytes cultured on gelatin microbeads could leave the microbeads and proliferate on the bottom of tissue culture flasks. Although Pluronic F68 has been widely used to protect animal cells from hydrodynamic stress in animal cell bioreactors, Pluronic F68 at a concentration of 0.25-1.0% showed no significant protective effects on the autologous melanocytes cultured on the microbeads and subjected to mechanical stress in the Bio-MCCS. This Bio-MCCS using porcine gelatin microbeads as microcarriers enabled large-scale production of autologous melanocytes, offering a potential treatment for large-area stable vitiligo by direct administration of the melanocytes cultured on the gelatin microbeads to the vitiliginous site.