Effect of Ratios of n-6/n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Lipid Metabolism in HepG2 Cells

Abstract:

Using RT-PCR, the variation in lipid metabolism of HepG2 cells caused by different ratios of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was studied. HepG2 cells were treated in vitro with different ratios of linoleic acid(LA)/ α- linolenic acid(ALA) at a concentration of 60 μM for 24 h, and RT-PCR was performed to analyze the expression of proteins associated with lipid metabolism, such as ApoB, SREBP-1, FAS, HMG-CR, and LDLr. The results showed that the LA/ALA ratio of 1:1 was the optimum ratio among seven test groups studied. At this ratio, downregulation of the SREBP-1 and FAS genes to decrease TG, downregulation of HMG-CR and upregulation of LDLr to reduce TC and LDL-C, and upregulation of SR-B1 to enhance the reverse transport of cholesterol to regulate lipid metabolism were observed. This in vitro model could be used to provide a theoretical basis for evaluating the nutritional value of polyunsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils.