This experiment aimed to evaluate the capacities of two types of chitooligosaccharides (COS) with different molecular weights for the ability to eliminate lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. We have established a lipid accumulation model in HepG2 cells for these studies in vitro, which was established by induction with oleic acid. The capacity of COS to eliminate lipid accumulation was evaluated using three metrics: the thiazolyl blue dye absorbance (MTT value), the morphology of intracellular lipid droplets and the triglyceride level (TG). Two types of COS with different molecular weights (1000 Da and 3000 Da) can significantly reduce intracellular lipid accumulation and decrease TG content in HepG2 cells, in a dose-dependent fashion. We found that low molecular weight COS is more efficacious than high molecular weight COS. Two types of COS can eliminate lipid accumulation induced by oleic acid in HepG2 cells, leading to an obvious hypolipidemic effect in vitro. These results suggest that COS may be effective preventive agents in fatty liver disease.
Keywords: Chitooligosaccharides; HepG2 cells; Lipid accumulation; Oleic acid.