Background/Introduction: Phospholipids are important structural lipids that are the major component of cell membranes and lipid bilayers. Phospholipids contain a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail which give the molecules their unique characteristics. Most phospholipids contain one diglyceride, a phosphate group, and one choline group. Sphingomyelin (ceramide phosphorylcholine) is a sphingolipid found in eukaryotic cell membranes and lipoproteins. Sphingomyelin usually consists of a ceramide and phosphorylcholine molecule where the ceramide core comprises of a fatty acid bonded via an amide bond to a sphingosine molecule. There is a polar head group which is either phosphphoethanolamine or phosphocholine. Sphingomyelin represents about 85% of all sphingolipids and makes up about 10-20% of lipids within the plasma membrane. Sphingomyelin is involved in signal transduction and is highly concentrated in the myelin sheath around many nerve cell axons. The plasma membranes of many cells are rich with sphingomyelin. Sphigolipids are synthesized in a pathway that originates in the ER and is completed in the Golgi apparatus. Many of their functions are done in the plasma membranes and endosomes. Sphingomyelin is converted to ceramide via sphingomyelinases. Ceramides have been implicated in signaling pathways that lead to apoptosis, differentiation and proliferation. Sphingomyelins have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, inflammation, necrosis, autophagy, senescence, stress response as well as other signaling disease states. Niemann-Pick disease is an inherited disease where deficiency of sphingomyelinase activity results in sphingomyelin accumulating in cells, tissues, and fluids. Other sphingolipid diseases are Fabry disease, Gaucher disease, Tay-Sachs disease, Krabbe disease and Metachromatic leukodystrophy. Sphingomyelin Assay Kit is a simple fluorometric assay that measures the amount of sphingomyelin present in plasma or serum, tissue homogenates, or cell suspensions in a 96-well microtiter plate format. Each kit provides sufficient reagents to perform up to 96 assays, including blanks, sphingomyelin standards and unknown samples. Sample sphingomyelin concentrations are determined by comparison with a known sphingomyelin standard.
2. Jiang, X.-C., et al. (2000) Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 20(12): 2614-2618.
3. Riboni, L., et al. (1997) Prog. Lipid Res. 36: 153-195.
4. Testi, R. (1996) Trends Biochem. Sci. 21: 468-471.
Winkler, E.A. et al. (2014). Blood-spinal cord barrier disruption contributes to early motor-neuron degeneration in ALS-model mice. PNAS 111:E1035-E1042.
Similar Products
Product Notes
The Sphingomyelin (Catalog #AAA168619) is an Assay Kit and is intended for research purposes only. The product is available for immediate purchase. It is sometimes possible for the material contained within the vial of "Sphingomyelin, Assay Kit" to become dispersed throughout the inside of the vial, particularly around the seal of said vial, during shipment and storage. We always suggest centrifuging these vials to consolidate all of the liquid away from the lid and to the bottom of the vial prior to opening. Please be advised that certain products may require dry ice for shipping and that, if this is the case, an additional dry ice fee may also be required.Precautions
All products in the AAA Biotech catalog are strictly for research-use only, and are absolutely not suitable for use in any sort of medical, therapeutic, prophylactic, in-vivo, or diagnostic capacity. By purchasing a product from AAA Biotech, you are explicitly certifying that said products will be properly tested and used in line with industry standard. AAA Biotech and its authorized distribution partners reserve the right to refuse to fulfill any order if we have any indication that a purchaser may be intending to use a product outside of our accepted criteria.Disclaimer
Though we do strive to guarantee the information represented in this datasheet, AAA Biotech cannot be held responsible for any oversights or imprecisions. AAA Biotech reserves the right to adjust any aspect of this datasheet at any time and without notice. It is the responsibility of the customer to inform AAA Biotech of any product performance issues observed or experienced within 30 days of receipt of said product. To see additional details on this or any of our other policies, please see our Terms & Conditions page.Item has been added to Shopping Cart
If you are ready to order, navigate to Shopping Cart and get ready to checkout.