Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global public health problem that affects more than a quarter of the population. The development of this disease is correlated with metabolic dysfunctions that lead to lipid accumulation in the liver. Pesticides are one of etiologies that support NAFLD establishment. Therefore, the effects of the insecticide fipronil on the lipid metabolism of the human hepatic cell line, HepG2, was investigated, considering its widespread use in field crops and even to control domestic pests. To address the goals of the study, biochemical, cellular, and molecular analyses of different concentrations of fipronil in cell cultures were investigated, after 24 h of incubation. Relevant metabolites such as triglycerides, glucose levels, β-oxidation processes, and gene expression of relevant elements correlated with lipid and metabolism of xenobiotics were investigated. The results suggested that at 20 μM, the pesticide increased the accumulation of triglycerides and neutral lipids by reducing fatty acid oxidation and increasing de novo lipogenesis. In addition, changes were observed in genes that control oxidative stress and the xenobiotic metabolism. Together, the results suggest that the metabolic changes caused by the insecticide fipronil may be deleterious if persistent, favoring the establishment of hepatic steatosis.

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氟虫腈对 HepG2 脂质代谢的细胞和分子影响及其与非酒精性脂肪肝的可能联系

非酒精性脂肪肝（NAFLD）是一个影响超过四分之一人口的全球公共卫生问题。这种疾病的发展与导致肝脏脂质积累的代谢功能障碍相关。农药是支持 NAFLD 建立的病因之一。因此，考虑到杀虫剂氟虫腈在大田作物中的广泛使用，甚至用于控制家庭害虫，研究了杀虫剂氟虫腈对人肝细胞系HepG2脂质代谢的影响。为了实现该研究的目标，在培养 24 小时后对细胞培养物中不同浓度的氟虫腈进行了生化、细胞和分子分析。研究了甘油三酯、葡萄糖水平、β-氧化过程以及与脂质和外源物质代谢相关的相关元素的基因表达等相关代谢物。结果表明，在 20 μM 浓度下，该农药通过减少脂肪酸氧化和增加从头脂肪生成来增加甘油三酯和中性脂质的积累。此外，还观察到控制氧化应激和外源代谢的基因发生变化。总之，结果表明，杀虫剂氟虫腈引起的代谢变化如果持续存在，可能是有害的，有利于肝脏脂肪变性的形成。