Measurement of Hepatic Lipids

Liver plays a central role in lipid metabolism, uptake of lipoproteins and lipids from the circulation (e.g., chylomicron remnant), and secretions of very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). Therefore, measurements of lipid levels in the liver have been broadly used to check hepatic function, especially in subjects who have chronic liver diseases, such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), in which there is accumulation of fat, inflammation, and damage to liver cells. In this chapter, we describe the processes of extracting hepatic lipids by the method of Folch et al., and measuring the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, and non-esterified fatty acids using enzymatic assays.