Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor ameliorates steatosis in HepG2 cells by regulating hepatic lipid metabolism

Figure 4 Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor knockdown increases the lipid content of HepG2 cells. A: HepG2 cells were transfected with Lv-GFP or Lv-shMANF, and images were captured using an inverted fluorescence microscope (Scale bar = 500 μm); B: MANF RNAi efficiency was determined by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR; C: Representative oil red O staining of HepG2 cells with bovine serum albumin or 0.5 mM free fatty acids for 72 h, and the positively stained area was quantified (Scale bar = 50 μm). Data are shown as the mean ± SE, and all experiments were repeated three times. ^bP < 0.01, ^eP < 0.001 vs Lv-GFP; ^cP < 0.05 vs Lv-GFP + FFAs. MANF: Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor; GAPDH: Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase; Lv: Lentivirus; Lv-shMANF: Lentivirus expressing short hairpin RNA-targeted MANF; BSA: Bovine serum albumin; FFAs: Free fatty acids.