Serum-free medium for normal human melanocytes

MM-4 melanocyte growth medium supplemented with phorbol-12-myri state 13-acetate (PMA), cholera toxin and bovine pituitary extract (BPE) supported the growth of normal human melanocytes under the serum-free condition. Early passage melanocytes grown in this serum-free medium exhibited doubling times between 2.1 and 2.4 days. Normal human melanocytes were passaged in this medium for more than 4 months with continuous proliferation and melanin production (0.2–0.6μg/104 cells). Melanocytes of 26.6 population doubling level (PDL) still grew in MM-4 medium with doubling times of about 5 days.