Sphingolipids, phosphosphingolipids, and glycosphingolipds, constitute a family of molecules particularly abundant in the nervous system.
Sphingolipids are a diverse group of over 100 bioactive lipids involved in many aspects of cellular function.
They all share a common sphingosine backbone, which may be linked via an amide bond to a fatty acid, or phosphorylated to form sphingosine-1-phosphate.
As sphingolipids are almost exclusively membrane components, particularly of the plasma membranes, that are suitable to interact with external ligands or other cells though they hydrophilic groups and with protein and lipids partners of the membrane through their hydrophobic groups.
Sphingolipids are found to be associated with plasma lipoproteins and their presence can be influence lipoprotein, including high density lipoprotein, metabolism.
Meat, milk and fish are important sources of sphingolipids in the diet. The sphingolipids is in plants are mainly cerebrosides with glucose, galactose, mannose and inositol.
Sphingolipids