Copyright
©2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
Sphingolipids in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems: Pathological implications and potential therapeutic targets
Masahito Kawabori, Rachid Kacimi, Midori A Yenari, Department of Neurology, San Francisco and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94121, United States
Joel S Karliner, Department of Cardiology, VA Medical Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94121, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to this work.
Supported by Grants from the National Institutes of Health (NS40516, to Yenari MA), the Veteran’s Merit Award (Yenari MA), the Uehara Foundation (2013 Research Fellowship, to Kawabori M) and from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/NHLBI (1P01 HL 68738 and R01 HL 090606 to Karliner JS); Grants to Yenari MA and Karliner JS were administered by the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, and supported by resources of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California
Correspondence to: Midori A Yenari, MD, Department of Neurology, San Francisco and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, Neurology (127) VAMC 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121, United States. yenari@alum.mit.edu
Telephone: +1- 415-7502011 Fax: +1- 415-7502273
Received: January 8, 2013
Revised: March 25, 2013
Accepted: March 28, 2013
Published online: April 26, 2013
Processing time: 108 Days and 19.6 Hours
Revised: March 25, 2013
Accepted: March 28, 2013
Published online: April 26, 2013
Processing time: 108 Days and 19.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: The sphingolipid pathway has received considerable attention recently, because its active metabolites appear to have salutary effects on cytoprotection in experimental cardiac and cerebral ischemia. Both inhibitors and antagonists of the sphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) pathway appear to limit ischemic injury through a variety of mechanisms. Because of the clinical availability of Fingolimod (FTY720), a S1P analog, for use in multiple sclerosis, preclinical and clinical studies should focus on the development of this and similar pharmaceuticals for a new indication.