Sphingosylphosphorylcholine stimulates proliferation and upregulates cell surface-associated plasminogen activator activity in cultured human keratinocytes.

Of the various sphingolipid metabolites, including sphingosine, sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), dimethylsphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate, N-acetylsphingosine, and skin-specific ceramides, only SPC accelerated cutaneous wound healing in full-thickness excision wounds in genetically healing-impaired diabetic (db/db) mice. A histologic examination revealed that SPC promoted not only granulation tissue formation, but also the re-epithelization of epidermal keratinocytes. As the direct effects of SPC on keratinocytes are completely unknown, we investigated the effects of SPC on normal cultured human keratinocytes. SPC concentration-dependently enhanced DNA synthesis in keratinocytes, with an increase in intracellular calcium concentrations due to the release of calcium ions from intracellular stores. SPC upregulated cell surface plasminogen activity, and at the same time increased the cell surface expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator-receptor (uPA-R) in keratinocytes. Furthermore, SPC promoted the in vitro wound repair of cultured keratinocytes, which was partially blocked by an anti-uPA monoclonal antibody. Our results suggest that one of the mechanisms responsible for the SPC-mediated promotion of cutaneous wound healing seems to be an enhancement of re-epithelization caused by the direct stimulation of the proliferation of keratinocytes, and an activation of the uPA/uPA-R system, which enhances the migration of keratinocytes.