sulfatides

Sulfatides are endogenous sulfoglycolipids with various biological activities in the central and peripheral nervous systems, pancreas, and immune system. They are produced from the combination of ceramide and UDP-galactose in the endoplasmic reticulum followed by sulfation in the Golgi apparatus. The ceramide portion contains variable fatty acid chain lengths, which are tissue- and pathology-dependent. Sulfatides are primarily found in the myelin sheath of oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, with smaller chain lengths predominant during development and longer chain lengths predominant in mature cells. They accumulate in the lysosome of patients with metachromatic leukodystrophy, a disorder characterized by arylsulfatase A deficiency. Sulfatides are also located in pancreatic β-cells and inhibit insulin release from isolated rat pancreatic islet cells, suggesting a potential role in diabetes. Sulfatides can induce inflammation in glia in vitro and certain sulfatides, such as C24:1 3'-sulfo-galactosylceramide, can induce an immune response in vitro in mouse splenocytes. Sulfatides (bovine) (sodium salt) is a mixture of isolated bovine sulfatides.

Tetracosanoyl-sulfatide is an endogenous sulfated glycolipid, which are also known as sulfatides . Tetracosanoyl-sulfatide is the major sulfatide in mature myelin in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Levels of Tetracosanoyl-sulfatide are elevated in plasma derived from patients with metachromatic leukodystrophy, a disorder characterized by arylsulfatase A deficiency, leading to sulfatide accumulation. Unlike C24:1 3'-sulfo galactosylceramide, it does not induce an immune response in mouse splenocytes in vitro.

Galactosylcerebrosides are glycosphingolipids that contain a galactose attached to a ceramide acylated with a hydroxy or non-hydroxy fatty acid. They are metabolic precursors to sulfatides , found primarily in nerve tissues, and are the main glycosphingolipids in the central nervous system. Galactosylcerebrosides are involved in a multitude of cellular processes including cell agglutination, cellular signaling in glycosynapses, cellular development, and activation of T cells. They accumulate in globoid cells in the brain of patients with Krabbe disease, a disorder characterized by a deficiency in galactosylcerebrosidase activity. This product is a mixture of isolated bovine non-hydroxy galactosylcerebrosides.

C18 3'-sulfo Galactosylceramide is a member of the sulfatide class of glycolipids. Levels of short-chain sulfatides, including C18 3'-sulfo galactosylceramide, decrease with age in mice and humans. It is increased in brain from mice with an arylsulfatase A deficiency (ASA-KO), particularly in lipid raft fractions. Plasma levels of C18 3'-sulfo galactosylceramide positively correlate with disability progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis using the Expanded Disability Status Scale. It is also increased in plasma from patients with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD).

Galactosylcerebrosides are glycosphingolipids that contain a galactose attached to a ceramide acylated with a hydroxy or non-hydroxy fatty acid. They are metabolic precursors to sulfatides , found primarily in nerve tissues, and are the main glycosphingolipids in the central nervous system. Galactosylcerebrosides are involved in a multitude of cellular processes including cell agglutination, cellular signaling in glycosynapses, cellular development, and activation of T cells. They accumulate in globoid cells in the brain of patients with Krabbe disease, a disorder characterized by a deficiency in galactosylcerebrosidase activity. This product is a mixture of isolated bovine hydroxy galactosylcerebrosides.