Sphingolipids and Glycosphingolipids

Sphingolipids are not essential nutrients but are increasingly being recognized as important in nutrition, as was reviewed by Vesper et al. (1999). In mammalian tissues and milk, the sphingolipids include ceramides, sphingomyelins, cerebrosides, gangliosides and sulfatides. 

Recently, milk sphingomyelins were reported to interact significantly with the physical state of cholesterol, which correlated positively with reduced uptake and esterification of cholesterol by Caco-2 cells they also significantly reduced cholesterol absorption in mice, even at 0.1% of the diet (Eckhardt et al., 2002). An earlier study showed the regulation of cholesterol absorption by the content of sphingomyelin in intestinal cell membranes (Chen et al., 1992). 

The second patent defines drugs for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, fracture, lumbago, and rheumatic arthritis. These drugs contain compounds such as ceramides, sphingomyelins, sphingoglycolipids and 

In a commercial response to the potential value of sphingolipids as functional food components, a patented process for preparing milk products enriched in both phospholipids and sphingolipids was developed (Dewet-tinck and Boone, 2002). These products are obtained by ultrafiltration of byproducts from the direct processing of milk or from the further processing of directly acquired byproducts. The ultrafiltration membrane used had a cut-off value ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 Da. 

---

Scheme A. Important fragmentations observed in field desorption mass spectra of sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids...

Sphingolipids and Glycosphingolipids (Structure 1, p. 324, Structure, Structure, Figure... 

Sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids are believed to be structural as well as signaling constituents of membranes. 

The enzymes involved in the synthesis of glycosphingolipids are cjh cosyl transferases, each specific for a particular sugar-nucleotid and acceptor. [Note These enzymes may recognize both glya sphingolipids and glycoproteins as substrates.]... 

Figure 1.6. Typical structures of sphingolipids (phosphosphingolipid and glycosphingolipid classes), based on a dl8 l ceramide (R = fatty acid group).

The primary hydroxyl group is substituted in one of two ways to give two classes of sphingolipid these are the phosphosphingolipids and glycosphingolipids. 

Sphingolipid All lipids derived from sphingosine, the "enigmatic" lipid (in reference to the Sphinx enigma) discovered by Thudichum. Includes sphingosine, ceramides, sphingomyelins, and glycosphingolipids. 

Sphingolipids and both neutral and acidic glycosphingolipids exhibited good signals in the positive-ion mode but with the nature and abundance of the molecular ion and extent of... 

---