Investigation of the effect of hispidulin on lipid parameters and AMPK, SIRT1 levels in HEPG2 cell line induced with non alcoholic fatty liver disease

In this study, we aim to determine the effect of hispidulin, a natural flavonoid component, on the concentration of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TK), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) levels in HepG2 cells that have been modified to oleic acid-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) model. Hispidulin at 40 µM concentration decreased TG (p=0,001), TK (p=0,003), ALT (p<0,001), and AST (p=0,012) levels compared to the oleic acid group, however there was no predicted rise in AMPK level (p=0.796) and SIRT1 level (p=0.017). Based on these findings, it is considered that hispidulin may be useful in NAFLD, however it is unknown which mechanisms it works through, and further research is needed to prove this.