Royal jelly fatty acids downregulate ANGPTL8 expression through the decrease in HNF4α protein in human hepatoma HepG2 cells.

Royal jelly (RJ) intake has been reported to be effective for reducing serum lipids; however, the mechanism is not fully understood. Angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8), a secreted protein, plays a key role in lipid metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effects of specific fatty acids included in RJ (RJ fatty acids), such as 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, 10-hydroxydecanoic acid, and sebacic acid (SA), on expression of ANGPTL8 in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. SA markedly reduced the expression of ANGPTL8. Reporter assay revealed that SA suppressed ANGPTL8 promoter activity. In addition, we identified a functional binding site of hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF4α), a liver-enriched transcription factor, in the ANGPTL8 promoter. SA reduced the levels of HNF4α protein and the binding of HNF4α to the ANGPTL8 promoter. Moreover, siRNA knockdown of HNF4α suppressed the expression of ANGTPL8 mRNA. Taken together, we conclude that SA downregulates ANGPTL8 expression via the decrease in HNF4α protein.