The nutritional functions of dietary sphingomyelin and its applications in food

Abstract

Sphingolipids are common structural components of cell membranes and are crucial for cell functions in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Sphingomyelin and its metabolites, such as sphingoid bases, ceramide, ceramide-1-phosphate, and sphingosine-1-phosphate, play signaling roles in the regulation of human health. The diverse structures of sphingolipids elicit various functions in cellular membranes and signal transduction, which may affect cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and maintain biological activities. As nutrients, dietary sphingomyelin and its metabolites have wide applications in the food and pharmaceutical industry. In this review, we summarized the distribution, classifications, structures, digestion, absorption and metabolic pathways of sphingolipids, and discussed the nutritional functioning of sphingomyelin in chronic metabolic diseases. The possible implications of dietary sphingomyelin in the modern food preparations including dairy products and infant formula, skin improvement, delivery system and oil organogels are also evaluated. The production of endogenous sphingomyelin is linked to pathological changes in obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. However, dietary supplementations of sphingomyelin and its metabolites have been shown to maintain cholesterol homeostasis and lipid metabolism, and to prevent or treat these diseases. This seemly paradoxical phenomenon shows that dietary sphingomyelin and its metabolites are candidates for food additives and functional food development for the prevention and treatment of chronic metabolic diseases in humans.

Gut–brain communication mediates the impact of dietary lipids on cognitive capacity

“…SM, an amphipathic sphingolipid, 160 mainly exists in animal-derived phospholipids. 161 It can increase the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Firmicutes and reduce Bacteroides , 162,163 which is beneficial for inhibiting the absorption of lipid and LPS diffusion, 164,165 relieving intestinal inflammation, maintaining intestinal microbiota homeostasis and improving the intestinal barrier. 166 PE and PC are important components of the intestinal epithelium.…”

Nutritional roles and therapeutic potentials of dietary sphingomyelin in brain diseases

“…However, animal-based foods such as milk, dairy products, and eggs are major sources of dietary SM due to their availability and relative low cost. ( 15 ) The SM concentrations in milk vary among species and stages of lactation. There is a lower amount of SM and Cer in infant formulas and commercial milks for adults than in human breast milk.…”

Sphingomyelin Liposomes Ameliorate Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Sepsis via Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Exocytosis of Lipopolysaccharide

“…In particular, long-chain C16- and C18-ceramides were found to exacerbate the ER stress and trigger apoptosis . Conversely, SM has been widely accepted in clinical and dietary settings based on its biocompatibility as a basic component of cell membranes . For example, SM-based liposomes were proven to be an effective carrier for anticancer drugs, and to be used as decoy targets to sequester bacteria exotoxins that damage cell membranes for the treatment of severe pneumonia .…”