Research Article
Possible Involvement of Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in a Cellular Model of NAFLD Progression Induced by Benzo[a]pyrene/Ethanol CoExposure
Figure 7
Effects of ethanol and B[a]P coexposure on ROS production, mitochondrial respiration, and apoptosis in steatotic wild-type and AhR-deficient HepaRG cells. Steatotic wild-type (WT) and AhR-deficient (mutAhR) HepaRG cells were untreated (c) or treated with a combination of 2.5 μM B[a]P and 25 mM ethanol (BE) for 14 days. (a) ROS production assessed with the H2DCFDA and MitoSOX Red dyes and mRNA expression of NQO1 and GSTA2. (b) Parameters of mitochondrial respiration provided by the XF Cell Seahorse Mito Stress Test profile: basal respiration, maximal respiration, ATP production, and proton leak. (c) ATP levels. (d) Caspase-3 activity and mRNA expression of TP53 and BAX. Results are for 4 independent cultures. #Significantly different from WT HepaRG cells. Significantly different from untreated WT or mutAhR HepaRG cells.
| (a) ROS production and oxidative stress |
| (b) Mitochondrial respiration |
| (c) ATP levels |
| (d) Apoptosis induction |