Fig. 3.

Inhibition of SCD1 expression increases β-oxidation marker levels and increase polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content in HepG2 cells. A: the expression of proteins involved in β-oxidation [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT1)] was evaluated by Western blot in HepG2 cells transfected with negative control (Ctrl) or SCD1-targeting siRNA (siSCD1). Protein levels measured by densitometry were normalized against GAPDH and presented relative to negative control. Each histogram presents the means ± SD of 5 independent experiments. The cellular PUFA content of siRNA-transfected HepG2 cells was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Omega-3 (B) and omega-6 (C) total PUFA content, as well as PUFA fractions, were analyzed. The results of 4 experiments are presented as means ± SE. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.002, and ***P < 0.001.