Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 6, 2025

Live Imaging Assay for Assessing the Roles of Ca2+ and Sphingomyelinase in the Repair of Pore-forming Toxin Wounds
Published on: August 25, 2013
Physiological functions and therapeutic applications of neutral sphingomyelinase and acid sphingomyelinase
Hongjiao Xiang1, Shengjie Jin1, Fenglang Tan1
1Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Sphingomyelin (SM) can be converted into ceramide (Cer) by neutral sphingomyelinase (NSM) and acid sphingomyelinase (ASM). Cer is a second messenger of lipids and can regulate cell growth and apoptosis. Increasing evidence shows that NSM and ASM play key roles in many processes, such as apoptosis, immune function and inflammation. Therefore, NSM and ASM have broad prospects in clinical treatments, especially in cancer, cardiovascular diseases (such as atherosclerosis), nervous system diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease), respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and the phenotype of dwarfisms in adolescents, playing a complex regulatory role. This review focuses on the physiological functions of NSM and ASM and summarizes their roles in certain diseases and their potential applications in therapy.
Related Concept Videos
Lipid Digestion
Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Therapeutic Uses
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Lipid-derived Compounds in the Human Body
Fat-soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K, are required in minimal quantities, but their deficiencies can lead to severely abnormal physiological conditions. For example, vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, dry skin,...
Cholinesterases: Distribution and Function

