Monounsaturated fat prevent, whereas saturated fat promote, cholesterol crystals in cytoplasmic lipid droplets

Oleate and other monounsaturated fat reduce lipid droplet crystal formation in cholesterol-loaded Hep3B and RAW 264.7 cells by shifting cholesteryl ester toward unsaturated species.

• Why it matters: MASH is linked to cholesterol accumulating in hepatic lipid droplets that can crystallize, but how crystal composition and lipid intake shape this process is unclear.
• What they did: Cholesterol-loaded Hep3B hepatocyte-like and RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells were co-treated with vehicle, monounsaturated fat, or agents that raise cellular saturated fat; lipidomics quantified cholesteryl ester species, and FTIR spectromicroscopy analyzed mouse liver crystals.
• The result: FTIR spectromicroscopy in diet-induced MASH mice identified cholesteryl palmitate as the prominent crystal constituent, while monounsaturated fat increased the unsaturated-to-saturated cholesteryl ester ratio and substantially reduced crystals.

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