Introduction:

The Calcium Sensing Receptor (CaSR) is expressed in human fat cells, and its stimulation may be associated with adipose tissue dysfunction. The multisystemic character of obesity and the search of deepening the scope of the activation of CaSR in this disorder allows us to study the response of this protein in tissues that differ from adipose.

Objective:

To evaluate the effect of CaSR activation on the expression of lipogenic genes in a model of excess glucose and fatty acids in HepG2 human liver cells.

Materials and methods:

The effect of the calcimimetic cinacalcet (allosteric agonist of CaSR) on the content of triglycerides (fluorimetry) in a model of glucose supply and on the expression of lipogenic genes (qPCR) in hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia conditions in the Liver cell line HepG2.

Results:

Cinacalcet, glucose (25 mM) and oleic acid (0.6 mM) did not affect cell viability. Activation of CaSR in the presence of glucose failed to increase the intracellular triglyceride content at 72 hours. Under these conditions, no response was observed for the factors coding for lipogenic genes (SREBP1c and FAS) at 24 hours of stimulation with cinacalcet in the liver cells. In the case of the over supply of fatty acids, the HepG2 cells did not show a variation in the gene expression of the DGAT enzymes after exposure to cinacalcet.

Conclusion:

Under conditions of glucose exposure, cinacalcet did not show a response in the triglyceride content, nor in the expression of genes related to hepatic lipogenesis. Therefore, stimulation of CaSR would not be associated with hepatic steatosis in HepG2 cells exposed to glucose.