The host response to infection and inflammation is associated with multiple alterations in
lipid metabolism. We have shown that endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] stimulates
hepatic sphingolipid synthesis and increases ceramide and glucosylceramide (GlcCer)
content in circulating lipoproteins in Syrian hamsters. LPS also increases the activity and
mRNA levels of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) and GlcCer synthase, the committed
enzymes in sphingolipid and glycosphingolipid (GSL) synthesis, respectively, in the liver. To …