Suppression of apolipoprotein B secretion from HepG2 cells by glucosyl hesperidin

Our previous study has shown that a soluble hesperidin derivative, glucosyl hesperidin (G-hesperidin), preferentially lowers serum triglyceride (TG) level in hypertriglyceridemic subjects through the improvement of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) metabolic abnormality. G-Hesperidin has also been found to decrease an elevated serum apolipoprotein B (apo B) level in the hypertriglyceridemic subjects, suggesting a possibility that this compound suppresses excess VLDL secretion in the liver. In the present study, to gain a better understanding of possible mechanisms by which G-hesperidin lowers serum TG, we examined whether this derivative affects apo B secretion from HepG2 human hepatoma cells, a model of hepatic VLDL secretion. As a result, G-hesperidin significantly reduced apo B secretion from the oleate-stimulated HepG2 cells. Furthermore, G-hesperidin significantly suppressed apo B secretion only in the oleate-stimulated cells and failed to act on the cells incubated without oleate. In the oleate-stimulated cells, G-hesperidin significantly decreased cellular cholesteryl ester (CE), although it had no effect on cellular TG or free cholesterol amounts. Moreover, the oleate-stimulated cells had a decrease in cellular apo B amounts by G-hesperidin exposure. These findings indicate that G-hesperidin down-regulates the assembly of apo B-containing lipoproteins via the reduction of CE synthesis augmented with oleate and results in suppressing excess apo B secretion from the cells. This effect is speculated to be associated with the improvement of VLDL metabolic abnormality in hypertriglyceridemic subjects and considered as a mechanism of lowering serum TG.