Inhibitory Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum Q180 on Lipid Accumulation in HepG2 Cells

Abstract

Recently, the prevalence of hyperlipidemia has been increasing, and consequently, the need to identify safe and effective treatments to control this chronic disease has also increased. The beneficial effects of probiotics have been revealed by several studies over the past few years, including their effects on hypertriglyceridemia. However, the mechanisms of action of probiotics are still unclear. The anti-obesity effects of Lactobacillus plantarum Q180 on lipid accumulation have already been demonstrated using an in vitro HepG2 cell model, and therefore, we investigated its efficacy and mechanism of action. Lipid accumulation was induced in HepG2 cells by palmitic acid treatment and then the cells were incubated with L. plantarum Q180 lysate or supernatant to investigate changes in lipid accumulation and expression of lipid metabolism-related genes. The results showed that the L. plantarum Q180-treated group exhibited significantly lower levels of lipid accumulation and mRNA expression of lipid synthesis- and adipogenesis-related genes than the palmitic acid-treated group did. These results indicate that L. plantarum Q180 may contribute to alleviating hypertriglyceridemia by inhibiting lipid synthesis.