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World J Diabetes. Jun 15, 2014; 5(3): 244-257
Published online Jun 15, 2014. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v5.i3.244
Defect of insulin signal in peripheral tissues: Important role of ceramide
Rima Hage Hassan, Olivier Bourron, Eric Hajduch
Rima Hage Hassan, Olivier Bourron, Eric Hajduch, INSERM, UMR-S 1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, F-75006 Paris, France
Rima Hage Hassan, Olivier Bourron, Eric Hajduch, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR-S 872, F-75006 Paris, France
Rima Hage Hassan, Olivier Bourron, Eric Hajduch, Université Paris Descartes, UMR-S 872, F-75006 Paris, France
Olivier Bourron, Department de Diabétologie et Maladies métaboliques, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75006 Paris, France
Author contributions: Hage Hassan R, Bourron O and Hajduch E were involved in collecting the required publications about the review and editing the manuscript; Hajduch E organized the structure of the review and wrote the manuscript.
Supported by INSERM, the Société Francophone du Diabète and from an Agence Nationale de la Recherche grant project (Crisalis)
Correspondence to: Eric Hajduch, Assistant Professor, INSERM, UMR-S 1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, F-75006 Paris, France. eric.hajduch@crc.jussieu.fr
Telephone: +33-1-44272431 Fax: +33-1-44272427
Received: December 12, 2013
Revised: January 29, 2014
Accepted: May 8, 2014
Published online: June 15, 2014
Processing time: 185 Days and 18.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Muscle and liver represent major sites for insulin-mediated glucose metabolism. The ability of insulin to promote its peripheral action is reduced significantly by excess of saturated fat that stimulates intracellular production of second-messenger lipids such as ceramide. Studies suggest that ceramide could be important contributors to lipotoxicity, as the inhibition of early steps its biosynthesis pathway has large beneficial effects in rodent models of obesity and diabetes. In this review, we describe mechanisms by which ceramide acts on insulin-sensitive tissues and we propose that targeting this lipid family could be an interesting approach to fight diabetes.