Metabolites of sphingolipids as targets for cancer therapy

Sphingolipids are structural components of cellular membranes.Their metabolites,such as ceramide,sphingosine,and sphingosine 1-phosphate are important bioactive molecules,which act as the first or second messengers regulating various cellular activities,including proliferation,survival,migration and neovascularization in vitro and in vivo tumor models.Sphingosine kinases 1(SPK1) is a critical regulator of the balance between ceramide and S1P.Recent studies show that ceramide,SPK1 and S1P can regulate many of the hallmarks of cancer.These studies suggest that these metabolites can serve as novel targets for cancer therapy.