Fig. 5. Synthesis rates of cholesteryl esters and incorporation of cholesterol into lipid droplets in mouse primary hepatocytes.

(A) Primary hepatocytes were isolated from mice fed a chow or an FF/HS diet. Cells were labeled with ¹⁴C-acetate for 4 h, and the incorporation of ¹⁴C-acetate into fatty acids, triglycerides, cholesterol, and cholesteryl esters was measured. The synthesis rates in hepatocytes isolated from mice fed a chow diet are defined as 100% and those in hepatocytes isolated from mice fed the FF/HS diet were compared. The values represent the mean ± SE of 3 experiments. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 by Student’s t-test. (B) Primary hepatocytes isolated from mice fed a chow diet were incubated with DHE in the absence (–) or presence (+) of 20 μM oleic acid. DHE (blue) and triglycerides (BODIPY 493/503, green) were detected by confocal microscopy.