ABSTRACT
Aim To establish an in vitro cell model for investigating hepatic steatosis in the primary stage of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Methods Cultured HepG2 cells were divided into different group exposed to different concentrations of oleic acid for 24 h respectively.Lipid droplets in the cells were observed with Oil Red O staining and Nile red staining.The contents of intracellular TG,MDA and SOD and the levels of ALT and AST in the cell supernatant were evaluated to verify the cell model,and the effect of flavonoids on the TG accumulation was observed in oleic acid-induced HepG2.Results A large number of lipid droplets were found in the model group with 0.4 mmol · L-1 oleic acid,which showed markedly increased level of triglyceride without significant changes of intracellular MDA content and SOD activity and the levels of ALT and AST in the cell supernatant,compared with the control group.Intervention with different doses of quercetin and epicatechin significantly decreased the TG content in the cell model.Conclusion Hepatic steatosis HepG2 cell model can be established by 0.4 mmol · L 1 oleic acid for the studies on lipid-lowering natural drugs in the prevention of NAFLD.