Introduction:

The liver plays an important role in lipid homeostasis, especially in the synthesis of fatty acids and triglycerides. A wide variety of cell models have been used to investigate liver lipid metabolism and to elucidate specific details of the biochemical mechanisms involved in the development and progression of related diseases, providing information for treatments that reduce their impact. Liver cell models have a high potential for the investigation of lipid metabolism, as well as pharmacological agents or active principles that allow the reduction of lipid accumulation.

Objective:

To compare some liver cell models used for studying lipid metabolism, their characteristics and the most relevant research results.

Materials and methods:

A systematic search of databases was performed on the most commonly used liver cell models for the study of lipid metabolism.

Results:

The five most commonly used cell models for this type of research are presented in this paper, highlighting their origin, application, advantages and disadvantages when stimulating lipid metabolism.

Conclusion:

In order to select a cell model, researchers should take into account the requirements and the process they wish to demonstrate, without forgetting that the results obtained will only be approximations of what could actually happen in the liver as an organ.

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