Esfingolipidoak eta kolesterola, egitura lipidoak baino gehiago

Resumo

Sphingolipids contain in their polar heads chemical groups allowing them to establish a complex network of H-bonds through different –OH and –NH–groups with other lipids in the bilayer. In the recent years the specific interaction of sphingomyelin with cholesterol has been examined, largely in the context of the “lipid raft” hypothesis. Formation of sphingomyelin - Ceramide complexes, proposed to exist in cell membranes in response to stress, has also been described. In addition, data demonstrating direct Cholesterol-Ceramide interaction are becoming available. Finally, a more recent emphasis on the variability of sphingolipids is advancing our knowledge in the field, as more studies are performed on different variants of sphingolipids, such as deoxysphingolipids, and reports on the effects of the N-acyl chain length or unsaturation are becoming available. This could be of importance in the currently growing field of developing ceramide-related therapeutic drugs or treatments for different illnesses, being the most relevant the cancer-related therapies.