c6 ceramide

C6 ceramide is a synthetic, cell-permeable analog of naturally occurring long-chain ceramides. It is more hydrophobic than shorter-chain analogs and closely mimics some biological effects of physiological ceramides. C6 ceramide acts by mediating diverse cellular activities, primarily inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death), arresting the cell cycle (notably at G0/G1), activating protein phosphatase 2A, and modulating MAP kinase pathways. It inhibits mitochondrial respiration and promotes cell death in a range of cancer cell lines, including cutaneous T cell lymphoma, breast, colon, and ovarian cancers. In addition, C6 ceramide suppresses insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation, inhibits glycoprotein trafficking, and affects neurite growth. It has been formulated into nanoliposomes (CNL) to improve its pharmacokinetics and cell delivery, with preclinical and early clinical studies focused on cancer therapy, notably for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and advanced solid tumors.

Other names

N-hexanoyl-D-erythro-sphingosineN-(hexanoyl)sphing-4-enineC6CerC-6CerC 6CerC6 Ceramide (d18:1/6:0)