title: The quantification of free sphingosine in the stratum corneum of patients with hereditary ichthyosis.
abstract: Sphingosine is a long-chain base which provides the back-bone of all sphingolipid molecules. Free sphingosine is found in normal epidermis, especially in the stratum corneum. As a free molecule it may modify epidermal cell proliferation and differentiation through its inhibition of protein kinase C. Using a thin-layer chromatography technique we have demonstrated in vitro that the erythrodermic ichthyoses show significantly lower levels of stratum corneum sphingosine than the non-erythrodermic types. The exact in vivo significance of this finding is unclear, but free sphingosine may have an important role in determining the inflammatory component of the hereditary ichthyoses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hospital for Sick Children, London, U.K.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Paige
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morse-Fisher
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Harper
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004817:Epidermis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007057:Ichthyosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D016112:Ichthyosis Vulgaris / Q000378:metabolism; D017490:Ichthyosis, Lamellar / Q000378:metabolism; D016114:Ichthyosis, X-Linked / Q000378:metabolism; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D016111:Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D013110:Sphingosine