Investigating the Protective Effects of Platycodin D on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Palmitic Acid-Induced In Vitro Model

Summary

This protocol investigates the protective effects of platycodin D on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in a palmitic acid-induced in vitro model.

Abstract

The occurrence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Platycodon grandiflorum is widely used as a traditional ethnomedicine for the treatment of various diseases and is a typical functional food that can be incorporated into the everyday diet. Studies have suggested that platycodin D (PD), one of the main active ingredients in Platycodon grandiflorum, has high bioavailability and significantly mitigates the progress of NAFLD, but the underlying mechanism of this is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect of PD against NAFLD in vitro. AML-12 cells were pretreated with 300 µM palmitic acid (PA) for 24 h to model NAFLD in vitro. Then, the cells were either treated with PD or received no PD treatment for 24 h. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed using 2′,7′-dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining, and the mitochondrial membrane potential was determined by the JC-1 staining method. Moreover, the protein expression levels of LC3-II/LC3-I and p62/SQSTM1 in the cell lysates were analyzed by western blotting. PD was found to significantly decrease the ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential levels in the PA-treated group compared to the control group. Meanwhile, PD increased the LC3-II/LC3-I levels and decreased the p62/SQSTM1 levels in the PA-treated group compared to the control group. The results indicated that PD ameliorated NAFLD in vitro by reducing oxidative stress and stimulating autophagy. This in vitro model is a useful tool for studying the role of PD in NAFLD.

Introduction

Platycodon grandiflorus (PG), which is the dried root of Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC., is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is mainly produced in the northeast, north, east, central, and southwest regions of China¹. The PG components include triterpenoid saponins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, polyphenols, polyethylene glycols, volatile oils, and minerals². PG has a long history of being used as a food and a herbal medicine in Asia. Traditionally, this herb was used to make medicine against lung diseases. Modern pharmacology also provides evidence of the efficacy of PG for treating ....

Protocol

AML-12 cells (a normal mouse hepatocyte cell line) are used for the cell-based studies. The cells are obtained from a commercial source (see Table of Materials).

1. Pretreatment of the AML-12 cells to model NAFLD in vitro

1. Maintain the cells in normal cell culture media (DMEM plus Ham's F12 [1:1] containing 0.005 mg/mL insulin, 5 ng/mL selenium, 0.005 mg/mL transferrin, 40 ng/mL dexamethasone, and 10% fetal bovine serum [FBS], see Table of Materials) at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO₂.
2. Seed the cells in 12-well plates (1 mL/wel....

Results

Intracellular ROS in the cells
AML-12 cells were induced with 300 µM PA for 24 h, and a NAFLD cell model was established. Subsequently, the cells were treated with PD for 24 h. The cells were labeled with a DCFH-DA fluorescent probe, and ROS production was observed under a fluorescence microscope. The results of the DCFH-DA staining of intracellular ROS in the cells are shown in Figure 1. The results showed that PD could significantly reduce the level of intracellular RO.......

Discussion

Studies have highlighted the fact that NAFLD is a clinicopathological syndrome, ranging from fatty liver to NASH, that can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer⁵¹. A high-fat diet and an inactive lifestyle are typical risk factors for NAFLD. Both non-drug therapies and drug therapies for NAFLD treatment have been researched^51,52,53. However, the pathogenesis of NAFLD has not been fully elucidated. The me.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
5% BSA Blocking Buffer	Solarbio, Beijing, China	SW3015
AML12 (alpha mouse liver 12) cell line	Procell Life Science&Technology Co., Ltd, China	AML12
Beyo ECL Plus	Beyotime, Shanghai, China	P0018S
Bio-safety cabinet	Esco Micro Pte Ltd, Singapore	AC2-5S1 A2
cellSens	Olympus, Tokyo, Japan	1.8
Culture CO2 Incubator	Esco Micro Pte Ltd, Singapore	CCL-170B-8
Dexamethasone	Beyotime, Shanghai, China	ST125
Dimethyl sulfoxide	Solarbio, Beijing, China	D8371
DMEM/F12	Hyclone, Logan, UT, USA	SH30023.01
Foetal Bovine Serum	Hyclone, Tauranga, New Zealand	SH30406.05
Graphpad software	GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, CA, USA	8.0
HRP Goat Anti-Mouse IgG (H+L)	ABclonal, Wuhan, China	AS003
Hydrophobic PVDF Transfer Membrane	Merck, Darmstadt, Germany	IPFL00010
Insulin, Transferrin, Selenium Solution, 100×	Beyotime, Shanghai, China	C0341
MAP LC3β Antibody	Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd	SC-376404
Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Assay Kit with JC-1	Solarbio, Beijing, China	M8650
Olympus Inverted Microscope IX53	Olympus, Tokyo, Japan	IX53
Palmitic Acid	Sigma, Germany	P0500
Penicillin-Streptomycin Solution (100x)	Hyclone, Logan, UT, USA	SV30010
Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride	Beyotime, Shanghai, China	ST506
Phosphate Buffered Solution	Hyclone, Logan, UT, USA	BL302A
Platycodin D	Chengdu Must Bio-Technology Co., Ltd, China	CSA: 58479-68-8
Protease inhibitor cocktail for general use, 100x	Beyotime, Shanghai, China	P1005
Protein Marker	Solarbio, Beijing, China	PR1910
Reactive Oxygen Species Assay Kit	Solarbio, Beijing, China	CA1410
RIPA Lysis Buffer	Beyotime, Shanghai, China	P0013E
SDS-PAGE Gel Quick Preparation Kit	Beyotime, Shanghai, China	P0012AC
SDS-PAGE Sample Loading Buffer, 5x	Beyotime, Shanghai, China	P0015
Sigma Centrifuge	Sigma, Germany	3K15
SQSTM1/p62 Antibody	Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd	SC-28359
Tecan Infinite 200 PRO	Tecan Austria GmbH, Austria	1510002987
WB Transfer Buffer,10x	Solarbio, Beijing, China	D1060
β-Actin Mouse mAb	ABclonal, Wuhan, China	AC004