HIF-1 alpha Expression as a Protective Strategy of HepG2 Cells Against Fatty Acid-Induced Toxicity

Free fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity via increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and hepatocyte apoptosis is a key pathological mechanism of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. A role of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) in this process has been suggested, but direct evidence is lacking. Here, we used HepG2 cells as a model to study whether HIF-1 can reduce palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity and ER stress. In HepG2 cells treated with 500 mu M palmitic acid, HIF-1 expression increased transiently, the decline was associated with increased cleaved caspase-3 expression. Overexpression and knockdown of HIF-1 decreased and exacerbated, respectively, palmitic acid-induced lipoapoptosis. The overexpression also blunted upregulation of the ER stress markers, C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and chaperone immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein (Bip), while the knockdown increased the level of CHOP. In line with this, CHOP promoter activity decreased following HIF-1 binding to the CHOP promoter hypoxia response element. These results indicate that hepatocyte lipotoxicity is associated with decreased HIF-1 expression. It also suggests that upregulation of HIF-1 can be a possible strategy to reduce lipotoxicity in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 1147-1158, 2014. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Grant sponsor: Korean University Grant; Grant number: K1325221