Ceramides during Pregnancy and Obstetrical Adverse Outcomes

Abstract

Ceramides are a group of sphingolipids located in the external plasma membrane layer and act as messengers in cellular pathways such as inflammatory processes and apoptosis. Plasma ceramides are biomarkers of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease, various autoimmune conditions and cancer. During pregnancy, ceramides play an important role as stress mediators, especially during implantation, delivery and lactation. Based on the current literature, plasma ceramides could be potential biomarkers of obstetrical adverse outcomes, although their role in metabolic pathways under such conditions remains unclear. This review aims to present current studies that examine the role of ceramides during pregnancy and obstetrical adverse outcomes, such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus and other complications.

Paradoxes: Cholesterol and Hypoxia in Preeclampsia

“…Although there are exceptions [169], several studies show that dietary TUFA intake is positively associated with preeclampsia incidence [18,170] (Table 1). Membrane-forming lipids, such as phospholipids, ceramides, and sphingomyelins have significantly different patterns in maternal and placental tissues in patients with preeclampsia versus controls [9,10,16,[171][172][173]. This marked dysregulation of lipids supports their use in screening for preeclampsia [174,175].…”

“…Membrane-forming lipids, such as phospholipids, ceramides, and sphingomyelins have significantly different patterns in maternal and placental tissues in patients with preeclampsia versus controls [ 9 , 10 , 16 , 171 , 172 , 173 ]. This marked dysregulation of lipids supports their use in screening for preeclampsia [ 174 , 175 ].…”