title: Effect of dietary cholesterol and high fat on ceramide concentration in rat tissues.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have indicated that plasma sphingomyelin levels and sphingomyelinase activity are risk factors for atherosclerosis. Therefore, it is suggested that ceramides, which are hydrolyzed products of sphingomyelin and a biologically active lipid causing apoptosis in a variety of cells, have an important role in the incidence of atherosclerosis. In this study, we examined whether cholesterol- and fat-enriched diets, which are causes of atherosclerosis, affect ceramide metabolism. In addition, we found a relation among lipid markers of atherosclerosis such as cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and ceramide concentrations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were fed a diet supplemented with 1% cholesterol or 30% high-fat diet for 8 wk. Tissue ceramide levels were analyzed using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The major ceramides in plasma and the liver were C24:0 and C24:1. The major ceramides in adipose tissues were C16:0 and C24:0. Therefore, the ceramide composition of the adipose tissues was different from that of plasma and the liver. In addition, total ceramide levels in plasma and the adipose tissues of rats fed cholesterol were higher than those in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The accumulation of cholesterol caused an increase in ceramides, which might be a new risk factor for atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Nara Women's University, Nara, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikuyo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ichi
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiso
authors.forename: Shosuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kojo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood*; D002518:Ceramides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012307:Risk Factors; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D004041:Dietary Fats; D002784:Cholesterol