The following is a summary of “Plasma Sphingolipid Profile of Healthy Black and White Adults Differs Based on Their Parental History of Type 2 Diabetes,” published in the March 2024 issue of Endocrinology by Mandal, et al.
For a Ceramides and Sphingolipids as Predictors of Incident Dysglycemia (CASPID) study, researchers sought to compare plasma sphingolipid profiles in Black and White adults with and without a family history of type 2 diabetes (T2D).
The study recruited 100 Black and White adults without a family history of T2D (FH–) (54 Black, 46 White) and 140 adults with a family history of T2D (FH+) (75 Black, 65 White). Fasting plasma levels of 58 sphingolipid species, including 18 from each of the three major classes (ceramides, monohexosylceramides, and sphingomyelins, all with 18:1 sphingoid base), and four long-chain sphingoid base–containing species, were measured using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.
Sphingomyelin was the most abundant sphingolipid in plasma, accounting for 89% in FH– subjects and significantly elevated in FH+ subjects (93%). Ceramides and monohexosylceramides comprised 5% and 6% of total sphingolipids in the plasma of FH– subjects, respectively, and were significantly reduced in FH+ subjects (3% and 4%, respectively). In FH+ subjects, most ceramide and monohexosylceramide species decreased, while sphingomyelin species increased. Additionally, the level of C18:1 species of all three classes was elevated in FH+ subjects.
The study findings suggested that elevated levels of sphingomyelin, the major sphingolipids in plasma, and oleic acid–containing sphingolipids in healthy individuals with a family history of T2D compared with healthy individuals without such a history may reflect heritable elements linking sphingolipids to the development of T2D.
Reference: academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/109/3/740/7299438