Application Notes:
This product is a well-defined ceramide making it ideal as a mass spectrometry standard. C18:0-Ceramide has been found to
inhibit cellular growth and is down regulated in certain tumor cells.1 C18:0-Ceramide also induces a sphingolipid
accumulation in cells. Ceramide is a fatty acid amide of sphingosine. Ceramide functions as a precursor in the synthesis of
sphingomyelin, glycosphingolipids, and of free sphingosine and fatty acids. The sphingosine can be phosphorylated to form
sphingosine-1-phosphate. Two of ceramide’s metabolites, sphingosine-1-phosphate and glucosylceramide, produce cell
proliferation and other cellular functions.2 Ceramide exerts numerous biological effects, including induction of cell
maturation, cell cycle arrest, terminal cell differentiation, cell senescence, and cell death.3 Because of these effects ceramide
has been investigated for its use in cancer treatment and many potential approaches to cancer therapy have been presented.4
Other effects include producing reactive oxygen in mitochondria (followed by apoptosis) and stimulating phosphorylation of
certain proteins (especially mitogen activated protein). It also stimulates some protein phosphatases (especially protein
phosphatase 2A) making it an important controller of protein activity.
References:
1. S. Koybasi et al. “Defects in Cell Growth Regulation by C18:0-Ceramide and Longevity Assurance Gene 1 in Human Head and Neck Squamous Cell
Carcinomas” Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 279(43) pp. 44311-44319, 2004
2. J. M. Hauser, B. M. Buehrer, and R. M. Bell “Role of ceramide in mitogenesis induced by exogenous sphingoid bases.” Journal of Biological Chemistry
Vol. 269 pp. 6803, 1994
3. N. S. Radin, “Killing tumours by ceramide-induced apoptosis: a critique of available drugs” Biochemical Journal, Vol. 371 pp. 243-256, 2003
4. N. S. Radin, “Designing anticancer drugs via the achilles heel: ceramide, allylic ketones, and mitochondria” Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Vol.
11(10) pp. 2123-2142, 2003