Ceramides: focus on obesity

Abstract

It is generally known that obesity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. A pathological increase in the mass of adipose tissue leads to a violation of the control of lipid accumulation at the molecular level, abnormal lipid metabolism with the formation of metabolites, which are critical for the development of these pathologies against the background of obesity. Ceramides are one of these metabolites. Ceramides perform many physiological functions, but under pathological conditions they induce insulin resistance, uncouple cellular respiration and phosphorylation, activate cell apoptosis, and play an important role in the induction of adipose tissue dysfunction. Altering ceramide biosynthesis through dysregulation of key enzymes leads to the formation and accumulation of ceramides, which block insulin signaling and induce adipose tissue inflammation.This review highlights the metabolism of ceramides, the reasons for their ectopic deposition in tissues in obesity, as well as potential intracellular signaling pathways that modulate ceramide activity.

Keywords

• ceramide
• sphingolipids
• obesity