Establishment of an in vitro model in which HBV promotes hepatocellular steatosis and lipotoxicity

At least one quarter of individuals with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have fatty livers, but little is known about the influence of HBV on hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, hepatic steatosis is a known risk factor for disease progression in HBV-infected individuals but the underlying mechanisms are widely unknown. The aim of this study was to establish a model to study the effect of HBV on hepatic steatosis and lipotoxicity. Methods and Results: The HBV producing cell lines HepG2.2.15 and HepG2.4A5 and the parental hepatoma cell line HepG2 were incubated with different concentrations of palmitic and o…