The Use of Ceramides as Therapeutic Agents in Skin Care Products
Meckfessel M H, et al. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2014, 71(1), 177-184.
Ceramides (CERs) are a complex class of lipids that are necessary to maintain skin barrier function. Some skin care formulations have incorporated CER into their formulations to aid skin barrier function through exogenous application of CER.
Ceramides as Therapeutic Agents
· Hydroxypalmitoyl sphinganine: It is a CER containing a hydroxyl fatty acid acylated to dihydrosphingosine. In vitro experiments show that adding hydroxypalmitoyl dihydrosphingosine can induce the production of endogenous CER and increase the total CER content in human reconstructed skin.
· CERs 1 and 3: CER 1 contains a long-chain ester-linked fatty acid acylated to sphingosine. CER 3 contains a 24-carbon fatty acid acylated to phytosphingosine. One study demonstrated that CERs 1 and 3 acted synergistically in an emulsion to improve skin hydration and reduce TEWL in skin treated with sodium lauryl sulfate.
· Pseudo-CERs: Pseudo-CERs are chemical entities that are structurally similar to CERs, however, they may have differences such as lacking a sphingoid base or having a tertiary amine group. Although they are not true CERs, they are still able to restore barrier function in damaged skin.
Ceramides As Novel Disease Biomarkers
Kurz, Jennifer, et al. Trends in molecular medicine, 2019, 25(1), 20-32.
Ceramides, as sphingolipids, are critical for cell membrane stability and can act as bioactive lipids in cell signaling pathways. Ceramides can be detected in readily accessible body fluids such as diseased tissue, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and blood. Ceramides have been explored for potential use as biomarkers in diagnosis, disease stage determination, and personalized medicine. Ceramides play a role in a variety of pathological conditions, including:
· Lipid Disorders: Farber Disease (FD);
· Cancer: Ovarian Cancer, Colorectal Cancer (CRC);
· Autoimmune Diseases: Osteoarthritis (OA)/Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Multiple Sclerosis (MS);
· Metabolic Disease: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D);
· Neurological Diseases: Alzheimer's disease (AD), Depression;
· Cardiovascular Diseases: Coronary artery disease (CAD).
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