Hepatotoxicity of atorvastatin in HepG2 cells

The cells were pre-incubated with CYP3A4/SLCO1B1 inducers phenobarbital (0.5 and 2 mM) or rifampicin (10 and 25 μM) for 72 h. Following washing twice with fresh medium, HepG2 cells were exposed to atorvastatin (10 μM) for another 24 h, cell viability and ROS generation were measured using MTT assay and fluorescent probe, respectively. Effects of CYP3A4 inhibitor and SLCO1B1 inhibitors on ROS generation and hepatotoxicity by atorvastatin in HepG2 cells were also documented. Briefly, HepG2 cells were co-incubated with atorvastatin (30 μM) and ketoconazole (2 and 10 μM), gemfibrozil (10 and 50 μM) or rifampicin (10 and 25 μM) for 24 h, the cell viability and ROS generation were measured.