Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2008 Jun 27;21(4):477–486. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-148X.2008.00479.x

Figure 7.

Figure 7

Visible depigmenting effects of ASP or PTU depends on the initial content of melanin, based on a dilution effect. (A) Six × 105 or 3.2 × 106 melanocytes were seeded in 10 cm dishes as noted and were treated 1 day later with ASP or PTU for 4 days where noted. Melanocytes seeded at 6 × 105 were able to grow exponentially, reaching a 10-fold increase in number, while melanocytes seeded at 3.2 × 106 could only double. Photos were taken after centrifugation of the harvested cells, and light intensity (L*) of each cell pellet was measured from the photo according to the CIE (ranging from 0/black to 100/white) (Coelho et al., 2006). Melanin contents were determined by photometric absorbance (405 nm) after solubilization of each pellet at 37°C in 1N NaOH, and are reported as μg melanin per ng protein. Cell number and total melanin contents are also reported. Results are representative of 2 independent experiments. (B) A mixed population of pigmented melan-a melanocytes and unpigmented albino melan-c melanocytes in various proportions in microcentrifuge tubes (106 cells per tube), emphasize the importance of the melanin dilution on the visible color.