New Delhi: An unlikely marker, lipids known as ceramides, may be better suited to predicting cardiovascular issues and diseases than cholesterol, scientists are learning –– as per an article published in Science Magazine, a peer-reviewed American academic journal.
While research is still ongoing, the article narrates the tale of Stephanie Blendermann, 65, who is one of thousands of Americans who was tested for ceramides. Her score was moderately high, suggesting that when compared to a person with a low score, she was more than twice as likely to suffer from a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack.
“Researchers continue to dig deeper into the biology of ceramides, but they are also eyeing the lipids as potentially valuable biomarkers to gauge a patient’s heart disease risk. The traditional factors for assessing this risk include age, sex, whether the patient smokes or has diabetes, and lab measurements of lipids such as LDL cholesterol,” says the article. Yet, it also adds that risk factors are difficult to pin down. An estimated 15 per cent of people who suffer from heart attacks have no symptoms at all.
This is where medical professionals want ceramide to come in. Giving the example of a 2016 study, where clinical pharmacologist Reijo Laaksonen assessed ceramide and cholesterol levels, and found that blood ceramides could accurately predict which members of the group in question would die from heart attacks. “Overall, studies on more than 100,000 people confirm the predictive power of ceramide testing,” said Laaksonen.
Despite breakthroughs such as these, access to ceramide testing remains limited. The US’ Mayo Clinic, credited with being one of the best medical institutions in the country, does only a 1,000 such analyses per month. A low number, given the ubiquity of heart disease.
However, the numbers are rising. In Finland, for one, most private clinics and about one-half of public hospitals offer ceramide analysis. Issues arise because ceramide testing is expensive. “A ceramide test is more complex to perform because it requires mass spectrometry, which is not available in most clinical labs. It is also about 10 times more expensive, running around $100 at the Mayo Clinic,” says the article. “Moreover, it remains to be seen how many practising cardiologists will opt for the tests even once they’re easier to order,” it adds.
Previous drug trials include those conducted at Centaurus Therapeutics, which drafted a molecule that inhibits DES1, the enzyme that catalyses the final step in ceramide synthesis. Although, big pharma companies’ attempts to develop such drugs have largely failed, says the article –– and biotechs have stepped in to fill the gap. As medications are being developed, strategies such as lipid lowering agents and lifestyle changes can be used to lower ceramide levels.
What is ceramide?
The term evokes skin-care, as ceramide forms a significant chunk of skin-care routines. Ceramides are lipids that make up to ~50% of the skins lipids to form the natural skin barrier.
They are lipid molecules that play a necessary role in the structure, barrier and function of the skin. They perform key tasks and aid in preventing moisture loss and protecting skin against environmental damage. Ceramides are not obtained from natural sources in pure form, and have thus been of synthetic interest since the 1950s.
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