title: Sphingomyelinase but not ceramide induces nitric oxide synthase expression in rat brain microglia.
abstract: Microglia, brain inflammatory cells, are activated in injured brain and function similar to macrophages. The activated microglia produce nitric oxide (NO), a major toxic substance from these cells, by inducing expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS). In this study, we found that sphingomyelinase (SMase) alone induced NO release/iNOS mRNA expression in cultured rat brain microglia. On the contrary to SMase, however, membrane-permeable c2-ceramide had little effect on NO release/iNOS mRNA expression. Fumonisin B1, an inhibitor of de novo synthesis of ceramide, did not reduce lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO release. However, neither SMase nor c2-ceramide enhanced LPS- or Abeta (25-35)-induced NO release/iNOS mRNA expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Ajou University School of Medicine, 442-721, Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inn-Oc
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Joe
mesh_terms: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D037341:Fumonisins; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D017628:Microglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D037341:Fumonisins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C064769:N-acetylsphingosine; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C074636:amyloid beta-protein (25-35); C056933:fumonisin B1; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase; D013110:Sphingosine