Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Inducing and Characterizing Vesicular Steatosis in Differentiated HepaRG Cells
Published on: July 18, 2019
Stearic acid stimulates FA ethyl ester synthesis in HepG2 cells exposed to ethanol
Ali Hasaba1, Joanne E Cluette-Brown, Michael Laposata
1Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Abstract:
FA ethyl esters (FAEE) are nonoxidative metabolites of ethanol produced by the esterification of FA and ethanol. FAEE have been implicated as mediators of ethanol-induced organ damage in vivo and in vitro, and are markers of ethanol intake. Upon ethanol intake, FAEE are synthesized in the liver and pancreas in significant quantities. There is limited information on the stimulation of FAEE synthesis upon addition of exogenous FA in vitro. HepG2 cells were incubated with ethanol alone, ethanol with 25 microM linoleate, and ethanol with 25 microM stearate. The amount of FAEE in human hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells was determined 1-3 h after ethanol and FA addition. Stearate increased the FAEE concentration in HepG2 cells when incubated with the cells for 1 h, whereas linoleate did not increase the cellular FAEE concentration at any time. Ethyl palmitate, ethyl stearate, and ethyl oleate were the predominant FAEE species identified in all cases, independent of the specific supplemental FA added to the medium.
Related Concept Videos
Carboxylic Acids to Esters: Acid-Catalyzed (Fischer) Esterification Overview
Carboxylic Acids to Esters: Acid-Catalyzed (Fischer) Esterification Mechanism
Esters to Carboxylic Acids: Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis
During hydrolysis, the ester is first activated towards nucleophilic attack through the protonation of the carboxyl oxygen atom by the acid catalyst. The protonation makes the ester carbonyl carbon more electrophilic. In the next step, water acts as a nucleophile and adds to the...
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Esters to Carboxylic Acids: Saponification
The reaction requires a base in stoichiometric amounts, which participates in the reaction and is not regenerated later. So, the base acts as a...
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...

