Page 51 - Petelin, Ana. 2021. Ed. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
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Accumulation of lipid droplets the effect of non-nutritive sweeteners on lipid metabolism in liver cells 49
In the analysis of cell staining with Oil Red O, the amounts and spatial distri-
bution of fat infiltration of visibly stained lipids were observed under a micro-
scope. The spectrophotometrically measured absorbances of the samples are
shown in Figure 5. The difference between the cell sample in the control me-
dium and the cells where palmitate was added to the medium is statistically
significant, in the later it is 1.9±0.04-fold higher (p <0.05). In line with our ex-
pectations, there are no statistically significant differences between the cells
in the control medium and the cells where sweeteners are added to the medi-
um, which is also consistent with the previously performed visual analysis of
the samples.

Figure 5: Results of spectrophotometric analysis of fat accumulation in
HepG2 cells in the presence of sweetener and sweetener and palmitate.
Ctrl-control, P-Na-palmitate, Nat-Natreen Classic, Erit-Erythritritol,
Hux-Huxol Original and Stev-Stevia Sugarel, *p<0.05
Significant differences in fat accumulation in samples with added sweet-
eners Erythritol, Huxol Original and Stevia Sugarel compared to cells where
palmitate was added to the cells were not confirmed, but a statistical difference
(p = 0.01) was shown in the treatment of cells with sweetener Natreen Classic.
In the case when cells were treated with both Natreen Classic sweetener and
palmitate, 0.8±0.06-fold lower infiltration of fat into the cells was observed.
The results show that the amount of lipid droplets in the cells is significantly in-
creased with the addition of palmitate to the medium compared to the control
medium and that the addition of selected sweeteners to the samples in HepG2
cells does not increase fat accumulation in the droplets. In the case of Natreen
Classic fat accumulation is even slightly reduced.
Discussion
In the present study we show that sweeteners stevia, Huxol, Natreen and eryth-
ritol have an effect on the expression of genes, related to lipid metabolism.
Analysis of gene expression showed that selected sweeteners exert such effect
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