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Glycosphingolipids and Insulin Resistance

  • Chapter
Sphingolipids and Metabolic Disease

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 721))

Abstract

Glycosphingolipids are structural membrane components, residing largely in the plasma membrane with their sugar-moieties exposed at the cell’s surface. In recent times a crucial role for glycosphingolipids in insulin resistance has been proposed. A chronic state of insulin resistance is a rapidly increasing disease condition in Western and developing countries. It is considered to be the major underlying cause of the metabolic syndrome, a combination of metabolic abnormalities that increases the risk for an individual to develop Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, polycystic ovary syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. As discussed in this chapter, the evidence for a direct regulatory interaction of glycosphingolipids with insulin signaling is still largely indirect. However, the recent finding in animal models that pharmacological reduction of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis ameliorates insulin resistance and prevents some manifestations of metabolic syndrome, supports the view that somehow glycosphingolipids act as critical regulators, Importantly, since reductions in glycosphingolipid biosynthesis have been found to be well tolerated, such approaches may have a therapeutic potential.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Johannes M. Aerts, Rolf G. Boot, Marco van Eijk, Johanna Groener, Nora Bijl, Elisa Lombardo, Florence M. Bietrix, Nick Dekker, Albert K. Groen, Roelof Ottenhoff & Cindy van Roomen

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jan Aten

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Mireille Serlie & Mirjam Langeveld

  4. Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Department of Bioorganic Synthesis, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Tom Wennekes & Hermen S. Overkleeft

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  1. Johannes M. Aerts
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  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, and Ralph H. Johnson Veteran’s Administration, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

    L. Ashley Cowart PhD

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Aerts, J.M. et al. (2011). Glycosphingolipids and Insulin Resistance. In: Cowart, L.A. (eds) Sphingolipids and Metabolic Disease. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 721. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0650-1_7

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