Huangqin decoction alleviates lipid metabolism disorders and insulin resistance in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by triggering Sirt1/NF-κB pathway

Figure 8 Huangqin decoction protects hepatocytes by triggering Sirt1/NF-κB pathway in palmitic acid-induced HepG2 cells. Data are presented as mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments. ^aP < 0.01 vs the control group, ^bP < 0.05 and ^cP < 0.01 vs the palmitic acid group, ^dP < 0.05 and ^eP < 0.01 vs the Huangqin decoction group. A and B: Levels of triacylglycerol (A) and total cholesterol (B) in HepG2 cells co-cultured with or without EX-527; C-E: Levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α in HepG2 cells co-cultured with or without EX-527; F: Level of glucose uptake in HepG2 cells co-cultured with or without EX-527; G: Representative micrographs of Oil Red O staining of HepG2 cells co-cultured with or without EX-527; H: Expression levels of Sirt1, p-NF-κB/NF-κB, p-IRS-2/IRS-2, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c, fatty acid synthase, and cluster of differentiation 36 in HepG2 cells co-cultured with or without EX-527; I-N: Semi-quantitative analysis of these proteins; O: Representative images of immunofluorescent staining of Sirt1 and NF-κB in HepG2 cells co-cultured with or without EX-527. 2DG: 2-deoxydglucose; CD36: Cluster of differentiation 36; DAPI: 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; FAS: Fatty acid synthase; GAPDH: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; HQD: Huangqin decoction; IL: Interleukin; PA: Palmitic acid; SREBP: Sterol regulatory element-binding protein; TC: Total cholesterol; TG: Triacylglycerol; TNF: Tumor necrosis factor.