Measurement of Sphingomyelin and Ceramide Cellular Levels After Sphingomyelinase-Mediated Sphingomyelin Hydrolysis

Sphingomyelin (SM) is the latest addition to the family of membrane phospholipids that is a source of molecules behaving as intracellular messengers (1). Ceramide is one of the products of sphingomyelin hydrolysis by specific sphingomyelinases (SMases) and appears to be involved in the signaling of apoptosis initiated by regulatory molecules that include cytokines, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and chemotherapy drugs, as well as UV and ionizing radiations (2–4).