TY - JOUR T1 - Rebaudioside A Enhances LDL Cholesterol Uptake in HepG2 Cells via Suppression of HMGCR Expression TT - JF - rbmb JO - rbmb VL - 10 IS - 3 UR - http://rbmb.net/article-1-638-en.html Y1 - 2021 SP - 477 EP - 487 KW - Rebaudioside A KW - Anti-hypercholesterolemia KW - Lipid droplets KW - Low-density lipoprotein KW - HMGCR. N2 - Background: Rebaudioside A is one of the major diterpene glycosides found in Stevia had been reported to possess anti-hyperlipidemic effects. In this study, we explore the potential cholesterol-regulating mechanisms of Rebaudioside A in the human hepatoma (HepG2) cell line in comparison with simvastatin. Methods: Cells were incubated with Rebaudioside A at several concentrations (0-10 μM) to determine the cytotoxicity by the MTT assay. Cells were treated with selected dosage (1 and 5 μM) in further experiments. Total cellular lipid was extracted by Bligh and Dyer method and subjected to quantitative colorimetric assay. To illustrate the effect of Rebaudioside A on cellular lipid droplets and low-density lipoprotein receptors, treated cells were subjected to immunofluorescence microscopy. Finally, we investigated the expression of experimental gene patterns of cells in response to treatment. Results: In this study, cytotoxicity of Rebaudioside A was determined at 27.72 μM. Treatment of cells with a higher concentration of Rebaudioside A promotes better hepatocellular cholesterol internalization and ameliorates cholesterol-regulating genes such as HMGCR, LDLR, and ACAT2. Conclusions: In conclusion, our data demonstrated that Rebaudioside A is capable to regulate cholesterol levels in HepG2 cells. Hence, we proposed that Rebaudioside A offers a potential alternative to statins for atherosclerosis therapy. M3 10.52547/rbmb.10.3.477 ER -