Ceramides: correlation with cardiovascular risk factors

Despite the successes achieved, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. With the help of traditional risk factors, it is not always possible to identify all patients with a high probability of developing cardiovascular events (CVЕ); therefore, the problem of finding new CVD biomarkers still remains relevant. Previous studies have shown the important role of excessive synthesis of ceramides in the development of obesity, insulin resistance (IR), type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), and liver steatosis. It is considered that ceramides are able to modulate signaling pathways involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism, triglyceride synthesis, development of apoptosis, fibrosis, and atherosclerosis. Given the wide range of metabolic effects, the study of ceramides is promising for identifying patients at high risk of CVD, as well as improving existing treatment and diagnostic strategies. This review article considers the role of ceramides in the development of atherosclerosis, the correlation with traditional risk factors, and the possibility of using them as new risk factors for early diagnosis of CVD.