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Updated: Mar 8, 2026
Optimized Analysis of In Vivo and In Vitro Hepatic Steatosis
Published on: March 11, 2017
1,25(OH)2 D3 attenuates hepatic steatosis by inducing autophagy in mice
Renlong Li1,2, Enshuang Guo1,2, Jiankun Yang3
1Graduate School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Objective:
1,25(OH)2 D3 has been reported to attenuate liver steatosis; however, its exact mechanism of action remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine whether 1,25(OH)2 D3 can attenuate hepatic steatosis by inducing autophagy.
Methods:
Male C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) were injected with 1,25(OH)2 D3 for 4 weeks. These mice were given 3-methyladenine (3-MA) to inhibit autophagy. HepG2 cells were preincubated with a free fatty acid (FFA) and then treated with 1,25(OH)2 D3 . Vitamin D receptor (VDR) shRNA and autophagy-related 16-like 1 (ATG16L1) siRNA were used for VDR knockdown or ATG16L1 silencing, respectively.
Results:
1,25(OH)2 D3 diminished HFD-induced liver damage and steatosis, changes accompanied by autophagy and ATG16L1 expression upregulation. Inhibition of 1,25(OH)2 D3 -induced autophagy mediated by 3-MA blocked the protective effects of 1,25(OH)2 D3 on hepatic steatosis. Additionally, 1,25(OH)2 D3 -induced autophagy appeared to play a role in anti-inflammation and lipid metabolism modulation in the liver. In HepG2 cells, 1,25(OH)2 D3 reduced lipid accumulation and increased autophagy and ATG16L1 expression; however, this effect was abrogated after VDR knockdown. The protective effects of 1,25(OH)2 D3 -mediated autophagy against lipid accumulation were abolished by 3-MA. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated ATG16L1 knockdown prevented 1,25(OH)2 D3 -induced autophagy, resulting in increased fat accumulation.
Conclusions:
The data suggest that 1,25(OH)2 D3 may ameliorate hepatic steatosis by inducing autophagy by upregulating ATG16L1.
