Accumulation of triacylglycerol in cultured rat hepatocytes is increased by ethanol and by insulin and dexamethasone.

Isolated hepatocytes from female rats were cultured in HI-WO/BA medium for 6 days. To the medium was added oleate, ethanol, dexamethasone and insulin. With oleate To alone, triacylglycerol accumulated; ethanol augmented the accumulation by 90%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that ethanol in vitro increases the content of triacylglycerol in liver cells. Further addition of dexamethasone or insulin did not alter the accumulation of triacylglycerol, indicating that these hormones did not play permissive roles for the effect of ethanol in the present system. Dexamethasone and insulin, in the absence of ethanol, increased the accumulation of triacylglycerol by 30% and 50% respectively. The concentration of glycerol 3-phosphate was increased in the presence of ethanol; however, with time the concentration of glycerol 3-phosphate declined almost to control values, while the accumulation of triacylglycerol continued linearly; this suggests that the effect of ethanol was not mediated via fluctuations in the concentration of glycerol 3-phosphate. These results are discussed in relation to earlier investigations in vivo and in vitro.