The Role of Ceramide in Cardiovascular Diseases

Background: Ceramide is a core molecule of sphingolipid metabolism that causes selective insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Research on its involvement in cardiovascular diseases has grown rapidly. Therefore, it is necessary to unravel the role of ceramide in cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose: The focus of this review is to summarize the role of ceramide in cardiovascular disease, and investigate the possible application of ceramide as a new diagnostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for cardiovascular disorders, and highlight the remaining problems.

Results: In resting cells, ceramide levels are extremely low, while they rapidly accumulate upon encountering external stimuli. Increased ceramide levels are strongly associated with adverse cardiovascular risks and events while inhibiting the synthesis of ceramide or accelerating its degradation improves a variety of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, myocardial infarction, ischemia-reperfusion, and heart failure. Therefore, ceramide is expected to be a core regulatory target which may have a broad potential to combat CVDs.