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Background: Excessive intrahepatic lipid accumulation is the major characteristic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We sought to identify the mechanisms involved in hepatic triglyceride (TG) homeostasis. Forkhead box class O (FoxO) transcription factors have been shown to play an important role in hepatic metabolism. However, little is known about the effect of FoxO3 on hepatic TG metabolism. Methods: Liver biopsy samples from patients with NALFD and liver tissues from high glucose and high sucrose (HFHS) fed mice, ob/ob mice and db/db mice were collected for protein and mRNA analysis. HepG2 cells were transfected with small interfering RNA to mediate FoxO3 knockdown, or adenovirus and plasmid to mediate FoxO3 overexpression. FoxO3-cDNA was delivered by adenovirus to the liver of C57BL/6 J male mice on a chow diet or on a high-fat diet, followed by determination of hepatic lipid metabolism. Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) luciferase reporter gene plasmid was co-transfected into HepG2 cells with FoxO3 overexpression plasmid. Results: FoxO3 expression was increased in the livers of HFHS mice, ob/ob mice, db/db mice and patients with NAFLD. Knockdown of FoxO3 reduced whereas overexpression of FoxO3 increased cellular TG concentrations in HepG2 cells. FoxO3 gain-of-function caused hepatic TG deposition in C57BL/6 J mice on a chow diet and aggravated hepatic steatosis when fed a high-fat diet. Analysis of the transcripts established the increased expression of genes related to TG synthesis, including SREBP1c, SCD1, FAS, ACC1, GPAM and DGAT2 in mouse liver. Mechanistically, overexpression of FoxO3 stimulated the expression of SREBP1c, whereas knockdown of FoxO3 inhibited the expression of SREBP1c. Luciferase reporter assays showed that SREBP1c regulated the transcriptional activity of the SREBP1c promoter. Conclusions: FoxO3 promotes the transcriptional activity of the SREBP1c promoter, thus leading to increased TG synthesis and hepatic TG accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased worldwide. Metformin decreases triglyceride (TG) accumulation in hepatocytes in vivo and in vitro. Stearyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) knockout mice also show decreased liver TG accumulation; however, whether SCD1 plays a role in the effect of metformin on TG accumulation is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether SCD1 mediated the effect of metformin on TG accumulation. Methods: HepG2 and AML12 cells were exposed to high glucose and high insulin with or without metformin. An adenovirus was used for the SCD1 knockdown and overexpression. The triglyceride level in cells was detected. The expression of related genes was detected by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to determine the effect of metformin on the transcriptional activity of the SCD1 promoter. Results: Metformin decreased TG accumulation to normal level in HepG2 cells exposed to high glucose and high insulin. The expression of SCD1 and fatty acid synthetase (FAS) was also decreased to normal level by metformin. Knockdown of SCD1 mimicked the effect of metformin on decreasing TG levels in AML12 cells, and the overexpression of SCD1 attenuated the effect of metformin on decreasing TG accumulation in HepG2 cells. The dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that the transcriptional activity of the SCD1 promoter (− 550/+ 199) after metformin treatment was 2-fold lower compared to control group in HepG2 cells. Additionally, the phosphorylation of AMPK after metformin treatment was 2-fold higher, and the expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) after metformin treatment was about 2-fold lower compared to high glucose and high insulin group in HepG2 cells. Conclusions: Together, these results reveal that metformin reduces TG accumulation in HepG2 cells via inhibiting the expression of SCD1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]