Effects of Crataegus orientalis fruit extract on lipid accumulation in oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells

During the recent years, much great deal of research has been conducted on potential use of certain herbs and nutraceuticals to manage nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), specifically with those strong biological activities and antioxidant ability. In our research, the goal is to investigation the protective efficacy of the ethanol extract of Crataegus orientalis fruits (COE) aganist lipid accumulation in oleic acid (OA)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) at the molecular level. Firstly, antioxidant activity and lipoxygenase activity of the C. orientalis were determined in vitro. For induction of lipid accumulation in HepG2, we established an in vitro model using 1 mM OA. The C. orientalis was evaluated for their ability to prevent from lipid accumulation and effects on sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA levels involved in lipid metabolism. The C. orientalis exhibited moderate antioxidant activity against ABTS and DPPH radicals and a significant anti-inflammatory effect against the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme. The results demonstrated that the COE (100 mu g/ml) inhibited lipid accumulation (p < 0.01) and was effective in reducing triglyceride (TG) concentration (p < 0.001) and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HepG2 cells (p < 0.05). C. orientalis suppressed mRNA expression of lipid metabolism enzymes (ACC1, FAS) and transcription factor SREBP-1c (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Our findings recommend that C. orientalis fruits are potentially protective against lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and may have beneficial effects in the treatment of the NAFLD. [GRAPHICS]