Cancer reports
Differential Modulation of WNT/β-Catenin Pathway-Associated Molecular Responses by Palmitate and Oleate in Lipid-Loaded HepG2 Cells
By Al-Haeri M, Mohammadi Y, Pashaei-Asl R and 1 others.
Abstract
Background
Palmitate (PA) and oleate (OA), the predominant saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, respectively, may differentially influence hepatic signaling. However, their individual and combined effects on WNT/β-catenin-related responses in HepG2 cells remain incompletely characterized.
Methods
Human HepG2 cells were exposed to PA, OA, or a combined PA/OA treatment for 24 h. Cell viability was determined via MTT assay, while intracellular lipid droplet (LD) accumulation was evaluated using Oil Red O staining. Transcriptional alterations of canonical WNT/β-catenin cascade genes (WNT, CTNNB1, GSK-3β, TCF, LEF, Axin1, and Axin2) were analyzed by RT-qPCR. Protein expression levels of WNT, β-catenin, and Glypican-3 (GPC3) were evaluated to assess pathway activation.