Ceramide (Cer)

Ceramides are a class of bioactive sphingolipids that serve both as structural components of cellular membranes and as potent intracellular signaling mediators. In the circulation, they are primarily transported within lipoprotein particles like LDL and VLDL and have emerged as critical markers and drivers of cardiometabolic risk. Elevated concentrations of specific circulating ceramide species, particularly C16:0, C18:0, and C24:1, are strongly associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Mechanistically, these lipids contribute to disease by promoting systemic inflammation, triggering apoptosis, and impairing insulin signaling through the inhibition of the Akt/PKB pathway. Therapeutic interventions currently focus on lowering circulating ceramide levels by inhibiting their synthesis enzymes, such as serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) and ceramide synthases (CerS), or by enhancing their clearance and degradation via adiponectin receptor-mediated ceramidase activity.

Other names

Circulating ceramidesPlasma ceramidesSerum ceramidesN-acylsphingosineLipid ceramides

Reduction of circulating levels through the inhibition of de novo biosynthesis enzymes (e.g., Serine palmitoyltransferase, Ceramide synthase), inhibition of sphingomyelin hydrolysis (e.g., Sphingomyelinase), or the activation of catabolic degradation pathways (e.g., Ceramidase activation via adiponectin receptors).