Role of hesperetin in LDL-receptor expression in hepatoma HepG2 cells.

BACKGROUND: High plasma concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) plays a significant role in the incidence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism by which the citrus flavonoid, hesperetin, regulates the LDL receptor (LDLr) gene in the human liver using the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. METHODS: Luciferase reporter gene assays were performed (in the absence of lipoprotein) to measure the activity of the LDLr promoter and the promoters of the sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) transcription factors that control the LDLr promoter. RESULTS: Only SREBP-1 promoter activity was significantly increased 4 h after exposure to 200 µM hesperetin. However, after 24 h incubation with 200 µM hesperetin, the activities of all the promoter-constructs, SREBP-1a, -1c, -2 and LDLr, were significantly increased. The effects of 200 µM hesperetin on elevating LDLr mRNA levels were possibly due to regulation of LDLr gene transcription by SREBP-la and SREBP-2. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that 200 µM hesperetin was likely to have stimulated LDLr gene expression in human hepatoma HepG2 cells via increased phosphorylation of PI3K andERK1/2, which increased SREBP-1a and SREBP-2 mRNA levels and enhanced the maturation of the encoded proteins. This may lead to lower plasma LDL cholesterol; therefore, diets supplemented with hesperidin might provide cardio-protective effects and reduce mortality and morbidity from coronary heart diseases.

POSSIBLE REGULATION OF LDL-RECEPTOR BY NARINGENIN IN HEPG2 HEPATOMA CELL LINE.

BACKGROUND: High plasma concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) plays a significant role in the incidence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart diseases (CHD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism by which citrus flavonoids, naringenin regulate the LDL receptor (LDLr) gene in human liver using the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2 as a model. RESULTS: Time-course transient transfection of HepG2 cells with luciferase reporter-gene constructs incorporating the promoters of SREBP-1a,-1c, -2 and LDLr, revealed that in lipoprotein-deficient medium (LPDM), only SREBP-1a promoter activity was increased significantly after 4h exposure to 200µM naringenin respectively. However, after 24h incubation with 200µM naringenin the gene expression activities of all the SREBP-1a, -1c, -2 and LDLr promoter-constructs were increased significantly. The effects of both 200µM naringenin on elevating LDLr mRNA are possibly due to regulation of gene transcription by SREBP-la and SREBP-2. However, the suppression effect of 200µM naringenin on hepatic SREBP-1c mRNA expression is likely associated with the reduction in mRNA expression of both acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. It was found that, 200µM naringenin was likely to stimulate LDLr gene expression via increase phosphorylation of PI3K and ERK1/2 which enhance the transcription factors SREBP-1a and SREBP-2 mRNA levels and increased their protein maturation in human hepatoma HepG2 cell. CONCLUSION: Diets supplemented with naringenin could effectively reduce mortality and morbidity from coronary heart diseases and as cardio-protective effects in humans.