Fig. 7.

Betaine activated AMPK and reduced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. A: betaine activated AMPK in vitro. HepG2 cells were cultured in serum-free DMEM medium overnight and incubated in DMEM containing varying concentrations of betaine for 1, 2, and 4 h, respectively. Total cell extracts were subjected to Western blot analysis with phospho-Thr¹⁷² AMPK (p-AMPK) and total AMPKα (t-AMPK) antibodies. Western blots shown represent 3 independent experiments. B and C: betaine lowered the lipid accumulation induced by glucose inclusion in the media in HepG2 cells. HepG2 cells were cultured in serum-free DMEM medium overnight and incubated in DMEM containing either normal (5.5 mM) or high (25 mM) glucose in the absence (Con) or presence of 2 mM betaine for an additional 24 h. Data represent a mean of at least 3 experiments ± SD, *P < 0.05.