2.7. Intracellular lipid accumulation:

Intracellular lipid accumulation was measured using Oil Red O staining (Lonza; Basel, Switzerland). Briefly, cells were fixed with 10% formalin for 30 min. Next, the formalin was removed and the cells were stained with 2 mg/mL Oil Red O in 60% isopropanol for 1 hour. Further excess Oil Red O was discarded and cells washed three times with distilled water. Bound Oil Red O was measured at 500 nm using Synergy MX plate reader (Biotek; Winooski, VT, USA).