Abstract
Ceramides, composed of a sphingosine and a fatty acid, are bioactive lipid molecules involved in many key cellular pathways (e.g., apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation). There is much evidence on the relationship between ceramide species and cardiometabolic disease, especially in relationship with the onset and development of diabetes and acute and chronic coronary artery disease. This review reports available evidence on ceramide structure and generation, and discusses their role in cardiometabolic disease, as well as current translational chances and difficulties for ceramide application in the cardiometabolic clinical settings.
Highlights
Ceramides are a family of bioactive lipid molecules, composed by a sphingosine and a fatty acid [1]
Several studies reported the relationship between high levels of circulating and accumulation of ceramides are associated with impaired insulin signaling and glucose transport, insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress, and beta-cell apoptosis that are the main independent risk factors of cardiometabolic disease [67,68]
A recent study showed that circulating levels of ceramides containing acylated palmitic acid (Cer-16), stearic acid (Cer-18), arachidic (Cer-20), and behenic acid (Cer-22) were each associated with a higher risk of diabetes in the Cardiovascular Health Study [72]
Summary
Ceramides are a family of bioactive lipid molecules, composed by a sphingosine and a fatty acid [1] Their chemical structure varies according to the levels of complexity and heterogeneity, due to the differences in chain length and degree of saturation of fatty acids, presence of polar groups, or variable sugar groups giving different glycosphingolipids. There is important evidence on the association between ceramide species and cardiometabolic disease, especially in relationships with the onset and development of type 2 diabetes and acute and chronic coronary artery disease. Underlying mechanisms explaining these relationships involve many critical cellular pathways, including apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) included a group of common closely related and preventable conditions (atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease)
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