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Ceramides in Metabolism: Key Lipotoxic Players
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Ceramides in Metabolism: Key Lipotoxic Players

Bhagirath Chaurasia and Scott A Summers
Annual review of physiology, Vol.83(1), pp.303-330
02/10/2021
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-031620-093815
PMCID: PMC7905841
PMID: 33158378
url
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-physiol-031620-093815View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The global prevalence of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, steatohepatitis, myocardial infarction, and stroke has increased dramatically over the past two decades. These obesity-fueled disorders result, in part, from the aberrant accumulation of harmful lipid metabolites in tissues not suited for lipid storage (e.g., the liver, vasculature, heart, and pancreatic beta-cells). Among the numerous lipid subtypes that accumulate, sphingolipids such as ceramides are particularly impactful, as they elicit the selective insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and ultimately cell death that underlie nearly all metabolic disorders. This review summarizes recent findings on the regulatory pathways controlling ceramide production, the molecular mechanisms linking the lipids to these discrete pathogenic events, and exciting attempts to develop therapeutics to reduce ceramide levels to combat metabolic disease.
Animals Ceramides - metabolism Humans Insulin Resistance - physiology Lipid Metabolism - physiology Metabolic Diseases - metabolism Sphingolipids - metabolism

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