Establishment of a model for evaluating hypolipidemic effect in HepG2 cells

Objective To establish a model of evaluating hypolipidemic effect in vitro. Methods Adding cholesterol to the culture medium for HepG2 cells to induce a hypercholesterolemia model. The content of cellular cholesterol and the expression of protein regulating cholesterol metabolism in HepG2 cells were determined. The validation of the model was identified by lovastatin, a widely used cholesterol-lowering drug. Free fatty acid was added to the culture medium for HepG2 cells to induce a hypertriglyceridemia model. The content of cellular triglyceride and the absorption rate of free fatty acid were determined. The validation of the model was identified by fenofibrate, a triglyceride-lowering drug. Results Cellular cholesterol content was increased and the expression of HMG-CoA redutase, SREBP-2 and LDLR were decreased after adding cholesterol and 25-hydrocholesterol to the culture medium. Cellular cholesterol was decreased and the expression of SREBP-2 and LDLR were up-regulated by Lovastatin. The absorption of oleic acid in cells was up to 40% after adding oleic acid (50 micromol) to the culture medium for 6 h. The absorption of free fatty acid was increased but the content of cellular triglyceride was not increased in cells by Fenofibrate. Conclusion This model might be an effective method for screening and assessing functional factors for lowing plasma lipids.