Fig. 8

DHM induced autophagy via the AMPK/PGC-1α and PPARα pathways. A HepG2 cells were transfected with PPARα-specific siRNA (three pairs of sequences, designated siRNA1, siRNA2, and siRNA3) or scrambled siRNA for 24 h. RT-qPCR and western blot were used to determine PPARα mRNA and protein expression. Interference sequences with the highest silencing efficiency were selected to silence PPARα gene expression in subsequent experiments. After siRNA silencing of AMPK (B), PGC-1α (C), or PPARα, (D) cells were treated with 0.5 mM PA for 24 h with or without pretreatment with DHM (10 μM). Western blot was used to analyze the protein expressions of autophagy markers, insulin resistance-related factors, and intracellular TG content. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. the Con group; ^#P < 0.05, ^##P < 0.01 vs. the PA group; ^&P < 0.05, ^&&P < 0.01 vs. the PA + DHM group