Reduction in Insulin Mediated ERK Phosphorylation by Palmitate in Liver Cells Is Independent of Fatty Acid Induced ER Stress

Saturated free fatty acids (FFAs) such as palmitate in the circulation are known to cause endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues. In addition to protein kinase B (AKT) signaling, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. However, there are conflicting data regarding role of ERK signaling in ER stress-induced insulin resistance. In this study, we investigated the effects of ER stress on insulin resistance and ERK phosphorylation in Huh-7 cells and evaluated how oleate prevents palmitate-mediated ER stress. Treatment with insulin resulted in an increase of 38–45% in the uptake of glucose in control cells compared to non-insulin-treated control cells, along with an increase in the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK. We found that treatment with palmitate increased the expression of ER stress genes, including the splicing of X box binding protein 1 (XBP1) mRNA. At the same time, we observed a decrease in insulin-mediated uptake of glucose and ERK phosphorylation in Huh-7 cells, without any change in AKT phosphorylation. Supplementation of oleate along with palmitate mitigated the palmitate-induced ER stress but did not affect insulin-mediated glucose uptake or ERK phosphorylation. The findings of this study suggest that palmitate reduces insulin-mediated ERK phosphorylation in liver cells and this effect is independent of fatty-acid-induced ER stress.