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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Metabolic disorders characterized by elevated blood glucose levels are a recognized risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Lipid dysregulation is critically involved in the HCC progression, regulating energy storage, metabolism, and cell signaling. There is a clear link between de novo lipogenesis in the liver and activation of the NF-κB pathway, which is involved in cancer metastasis via regulation of metalloproteinases MMP-2/9. As conventional therapies for HCC reach their limits, new effective and safe drugs need to be found for the prevention and/or adjuvant therapy of HCC. The marine plant Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is endemic to the Mediterranean and has traditionally been used to treat diabetes and other health disorders. The phenol-rich leaf extract of Posidonia oceanica (POE) is known to have cell-safe bioactivities. Here, high glucose (HG) conditions were used to study lipid accumulation and fatty acid synthase (FASN) expression in human HepG2 hepatoma cells using Oil Red O and Western blot assays. Under HG conditions, the activation status of MAPKs/NF-κB axis and MMP-2/9 activity were determined by Western blot and gelatin zymography assays. The potential ameliorative role of POE against HG-related stress in HepG2 cells was then investigated. POE reduced lipid accumulation and FASN expression with an impact on de novo lipogenesis. Moreover, POE inhibited the MAPKs/NF-κB axis and, consequently, MMP-2/9 activity. Overall, these results suggest that P. oceanica may be a potential weapon in the HCC additional treatment.

Details

Title
Ameliorative Effect of Posidonia oceanica on High Glucose-Related Stress in Human Hepatoma HepG2 Cells
Author
Vasarri, Marzia 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Barletta, Emanuela 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Stio, Maria 2 ; Bergonzi, Maria Camilla 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Galli, Andrea 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Donatella Degl’Innocenti 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 50, 50134 Florence, Italy; Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy 
 Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 50, 50134 Florence, Italy 
 Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy 
 Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 50, 50134 Florence, Italy; Interuniversity Center of Marine Biology and Applied Ecology “G. Bacci” (CIBM), Viale N. Sauro 4, 57128 Livorno, Italy 
First page
5203
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
16616596
e-ISSN
14220067
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2791656907
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.