Fig. 3: Inhibition of DGAT1 aggravates OA-induced ER-stress in cultured MCECs.

MCECs were seeded overnight, and upon reaching sub-confluence, were pre-treated with or without 5 µM DGAT1 inhibitor A-922500 (DGAT1i) for 30 min, followed by treatment with 250 µM OA for 6 h. A–J Transcriptional level changes of ER-stress related genes, including Ern1, Atf6, Eif2ak3, Bip, Eif2s1, Ppp1r15a, Atf3, Trib3, Chac1, and Ddit3. K–L Representative immunofluorescence images of CHOP staining (K) and summary of positive cells percentage (L). An isotype-matched rabbit IgG control was included as a negative control to confirm staining specificity. Images in K acquired using a 40× objective and a standard 10× eyepiece (effective ×400 magnification). Scale bar = 20 µm. Data in A–J are shown as fold-changes relative to control (CTRL = 1). All datasets were analyzed by the Kruskal–Wallis test with Dunn’s multiple-comparisons post hoc test. * vs CTRL, # vs OA, P < 0.05, n = 4.