title: C(6)-ceramide enhances phagocytic activity of Kupffer cells through the production of endogenous ceramides.
abstract: Ceramide has been suggested to be not only a tumor-suppressive lipid but also a regulator of phagocytosis. We examined whether exogenous cell-permeable C(6)-ceramide enhances the phagocytic activity of Kupffer cells (KCs) and affects the level of cellular ceramides. Rat KCs were isolated by collagenase digestion and differential centrifugation, using Percoll system. Phagocytic activity was measured by FACS analysis after incubating KCs with fluorescence-conjugated latex beads, and the level of cellular ceramide was analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In this study we found that permeable C(6)-ceramide increases the cellular levels of endogenous ceramides via a sphingosine-recycling pathway leading to enhanced phagocytosis by KCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Health Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-756, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: So Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Kyong Hoon
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Seok Kyun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Jong Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Hyung Chul
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Moon Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Back
authors.forename: Dae Kyong
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002518:Ceramides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; C101954:N-caproylsphingosine; D013110:Sphingosine