ABSTRACT: Sesamin, a special compound present in sesame and sesame oil, has been reported the role in regulating blood lipids and improving liver function, while the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to explore its potential mechanisms in regulating lipid metabolism. HepG2 cells were treated with oleic acid to establish an in vitro high-fat cell model to simulate impaired hepatocytes under lipid metabolism disorders.Differentially expressed genes during the sesame intervention were screened by RNA sequencing (RNA seq) and validated using real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot.The data showed that sesamin significantly upregulated the mRNA levels of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism processes such as ETFB, ACAT2, FADS2, FABP1, ACOT1, and those involved in cholesterol metabolism processes such as FDPS, PCSK9, and DHCR7, and downregulated the mRNA levels of CYP24A1 and GGT5 involved in fatty acid metabolism, as well as MVK involved in cholesterol synthesis. Sesamin significantly down-regulated the protein levels of NOTCH1, CD36, SOX4, and FABP1. In summary, sesamin alleviates lipid accumulation in HepG2 by regulating lipid metabolism, with potential mechanisms involving steroid biosynthesis, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, fat digestion and absorption, fatty acid metabolism, Notch signaling pathway, and PPAR signaling pathway.
