scholarly journals Dissecting lipid accumulation of microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata using fluorescent image analysis

Author(s):  
Tu Cam Trinh ◽  
Huong Thanh Tran ◽  
Viet Trang Bui

Cell suspension of Nannochloropsis oculata was cultured in a modified f/2 medium to study the changes of lipid content during phases of growth. The growth of cell suspension was determined by measuring the cell density and diameter under light microscope. To observe and evaluate the accumulation of lipid droplets in microalgae cells, lipid droplets were stained with Nile Red fluorescent dye then examined under fluorescence microscope and the obtained images were analyzed using Fiji ImageJ, an image processing program. The cell density increased quickly at the first 6 days of culture while cell diameter reached the highest value at the 8th day and 20th day of culture. The presence of lipid droplets in the cells could be observed from the 20th day of culture. The size of lipid droplets was gradually increased after 60 days. Treatment of depleted nitrogen for 4 days resulted an increase in the accumulation of lipid. The intracellular lipid accumulation during phases of growth of the cell suspension under nitrogen-depleted conditions was also discussed.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Tian ◽  
Jingxin Liu ◽  
Jianzhong Zhu ◽  
Rongsong Li ◽  
Ligen Lin

Abstract Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by ectopic accumulation of triglycerides in the liver. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that lipophagy regulates lipid mobilization and energy homeostasis in liver. Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), a mitochondrial NAD+-dependent deacetylase, modulates the activities of several substrates involving in autophagy and energy metabolism. Honokiol (HK) is a natural lignan from the plants of Magnolia genus that exhibits potent liver protective property. Methods: AML12 was challenged with 500 μM palmitic acid and 250 μM oleic acid mixture solution to induce lipotoxicity. The expression of autophagy-related and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway proteins was evaluated by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Intracellular lipid accumulation was validated by Nile red staining. Molecular docking analysis was performed on AutoDock 4.2.Results: HK (5 and 10 μM) was found to attenuate lipid accumulation through promoting SIRT3-AMPK-mediated autophagy, mainly on lipid droplets. HK had hydrophobic interaction with amino acid residues (PHE294, GLU323 and VAL324) and NAD+. Moreover, HK improved mitochondrial function to enhance lipolysis, through decreasing the acetylated long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase level. Conclusions: These results suggest that HK could ameliorate lipotoxicity in hepatocytes by activating SIRT3-AMPK-lipophagy axis, which might be a potential therapeutic agent against NAFLD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Hristov ◽  
Veronica Mocanu ◽  
Florin Zugun-Eloae ◽  
Luminita Labusca ◽  
Iustina Cretu-Silivestru ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 308 (12) ◽  
pp. E1140-E1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Kun Ling Ma ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
Yu Wu ◽  
Ze Bo Hu ◽  
...  

Dyslipidemia plays crucial roles in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). This study investigated the effects of high glucose on lipid accumulation in podocytes and explored its underlying mechanisms. Male db/m and db/db mice were fed a normal chow diet for 8 wk. Immortalised mouse podocytes were treated with or without high glucose for 24 h. The changes to the morphology and ultramicrostructures of the kidneys in mice were examined using pathological staining and electron microscopy. Intracellular lipid accumulation was evaluated by Oil Red O staining and a free cholesterol quantitative assay. The expressions of the molecules involved in low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) pathway and podocyte injury were examined using immunofluorescent staining, real-time PCR, and Western blot. There were increased levels of plasma lipid, serum creatinine, and proteinuria in db/db mice compared with db/m mice. Moreover, there was significant mesangial matrix expansion, basement membrane thickening, podocyte foot process effacement, and phenotypic alteration in the db/db group. Additionally, lipid accumulation in the kidneys of db/db mice was increased due to increased protein expressions of LDLr, sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) cleavage-activating protein, and SREBP-2. These effects were further confirmed by in vitro studies. Interestingly, the treatment with LDLr siRNA inhibited lipid accumulation in podocytes and decreased the protein expression of molecules associated with phenotypic alteration in podocytes. High glucose disrupted LDLr feedback regulation in podocytes, which may cause intracellular lipid accumulation and alteration of podocyte phenotype, thereby accelerating DN progression.


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