Wang Weiyuan, Prince Bert F, Thorpe Alexander J, Brown Timothy J, Barth Brian M
Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322 USA.
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham NH 03824 USA.
J Cancer Res Oncobiol. 2024;4(1). Epub 2024 Sep 30.
Ceramides are a family of wax-like lipids that fall under the broader category of sphingolipids. A ceramide is composed of a sphingosine side chain coupled to a fatty acid via an amide linkage. Distinct from complex sphingolipids, the head of ceramide is a simple alcohol rather than a phosphate, phosphocholine, sugar, or more. The fatty acid chains of ceramide can also vary in chain length and degree of saturation. The degree of saturation may determine the biological activity of the ceramide species. Ceramides are highly abundant within the cell membrane of eukaryotic cells and are appreciated for their structural roles in these cells. Moreover, ceramides are well-known for their biological activity including as regulators of apoptosis, senescence, the cell cycle, and differentiation. This review discusses pathways of ceramide, roles of ceramide in various diseases, targeting ceramide metabolism in the treatment of cancer, as well as ceramide-delivering nanotechnologies.
神经酰胺是一类蜡样脂质，属于更广泛的鞘脂类。神经酰胺由一个鞘氨醇侧链通过酰胺键与脂肪酸相连组成。与复杂鞘脂不同，神经酰胺的头部是一种简单的醇，而不是磷酸、磷酸胆碱、糖等。神经酰胺的脂肪酸链在链长和饱和度上也可能有所不同。饱和度可能决定神经酰胺种类的生物活性。神经酰胺在真核细胞的细胞膜中含量非常丰富，并因其在这些细胞中的结构作用而受到重视。此外，神经酰胺以其生物活性而闻名，包括作为细胞凋亡、衰老、细胞周期和分化的调节剂。本文综述了神经酰胺的代谢途径、神经酰胺在各种疾病中的作用、针对神经酰胺代谢治疗癌症以及神经酰胺递送纳米技术。
