Induction of lipid droplets in non-macrophage cells as well as macrophages by liposomes and exosomes

It has been reported that phospholipid nanoparticles (PNPs) including liposomes and exosomes could efficiently induce lipid droplets (LDs) in macrophages. However, in non-macrophage cells, the effects of PNPs on the induction of LDs have not been thoroughly investigated.

In this report, Osaka University researchers directly compared non-macrophage and macrophage cell lines in terms of LD induction by various formulation of liposomes containing phosphatidylserine and exosomes. All non-macrophage cell lines as well as macrophage cell lines tested in this study showed evident LD induction in response to these PNPs, though the efficacy of LD induction in non-macrophage cell lines varied considerably. These results suggest that LD formation is a common and crucial response to PNPs in mammalian cells not only in macrophages but also in non-macrophage cells.