Membrane properties of sphingomyelins
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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Quantitative and Qualitative Method for Sphingomyelin by LC-MS Using Two Stable Isotopically Labeled Sphingomyelin Species
Published on: May 7, 2018
Bodil Ramstedt1, J Peter Slotte
1Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacy, Abo Akademi University, P.O. Box 66, 20521, Turku, Finland. bodil.ramstedt@abo.fi
Abstract:
Sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine are important components in the external leaflet of cellular plasma membranes. In this review we compare the structure of these lipid molecules, with emphasis on the differences in hydrogen bonding capacity and membrane properties that arise from the small but significant differences in molecular structure. The membrane properties of sphingomyelins and the implications that these have, or might have, in biological membranes and for raft function are further discussed.
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