Effects of Single Herbal Drugs on Adhesion and Migration of Melanocytes

Objective： To find herbs with effects on adhesion and migration of melanocytes in vitro. Materials and Methods： Ethanol extracts from 14 herbs were tested. Normal human melanocytes were obtained from neonatal foreskin, and the 48-well culture dish covered with fibronectin was used for the melanocyte adhesion assay. Motility was assessed by using the micropore filter method. Results： The extracts of Danshen （丹参 Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae）, Tusizi （菟 Semen Cuscutae） and Honghua （红花 Flos Carthami） could enhance melanocyte adhesion to fibronectin, while Cijili （刺蒺藜 Fructus Tribuli） and Huangqi （黄芪 Radix Astragali） promote melanocyte migration in vitro. Buguzhi （补骨脂 Fructus Psoraleae）, Nü Zhen Zi （女贞子 Fructus Ligustri Lucidi） and B aizhi （白芷 Radix Angelicae Dahuricae） could promote both adhesion and migration of melanocytes. Conclusion： The above herbs may play a role through promoting adhesion and/or migration of melanocvtes in the treatment of vitiligo.