Yokukansan, a Traditional Japanese Medicine, Adjusts Glutamate Signaling in Cultured Keratinocytes

Figure 3

Keratinocytes are able to produce and release glutamate. Cultured keratinocytes were observed at different stages of confluence. When the culture reached a certain stage of confluence, the glutamate concentrations were measured by ELISA. The following measurement points were defined: nonconfluent (approximately 30% of the area covered by cells), subconfluent (approximately 70% of the area covered with cells), and confluent (90–100% of the area covered by cells). The extracellular glutamate concentration increased as the cell density increased. The measurements were compared between cell-free conditions and cells that had reached certain stages of confluence (). , , and .