Biomaterial Database

Galactocerebroside and not glucocerebroside or ceramide stimulate epidermal beta-glucocerebrosidase activity. 1998

M Hara, and Y Uchida, and A Haratake, and K Mimura, and S Hamanaka

Kanebo, Cosmetics Laboratory 3-28, Kanagawa-ken, Japan.

Glycosphingolipids including glucocerebroside (GluCer) and galactocerebroside (GalCer) have been recognized as bioreguratory lipids by our group and others. In addition, our recent study demonstrated that GalCer corrects dry skin conditions in humans. The processing of stratum corneum lipids, which occurs when beta-glucocerebrosidase (beta-GluCer'ase) changes GluCer to ceramide (Cer), is required to form the epidermal permeability barrier. We herein investigated the effects of GluCer, GalCer and Cer on the processing of GluCer to Cer by assaying epidermal beta-GluCer'ase in mice (155%, P < 0.01) when compared to vehicle treated controls, while neither GluCer nor Cer had this effect. Studies using inhibitors of beta-GluCer'ase or beta-galactosidase and measuring the optimum pH of the enzyme verified that GalCer specifically activated beta-GluCer'ase. We confirmed that GalCer significantly increased beta-GluCer'ase activity in the outer epidermal fraction (172%, P < 0.01) and that the activation of beta-GluCer'ase is not due to a direct activating effect of GalCer on the enzyme. Furthermore, the induction of beta-GluCer'ase activity by GalCer was also observed in cultured normal human deratinocytes (123%, P < 0.01). Finally, acylceramide content in stratum corneum was increased in mice treated with GalCer (194%, P < 0.0005). These results indicate that GalCer appears to affect the Cer construct in the stratum corneum by the activation of beta-GluCer'ase, which ultimately contribute to an enhancement of barrier formation.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008812	Mice, Hairless	Mutant strains of mice that produce little or no hair.	Hairless Mice,Mice, Inbred HRS,Mice, hr,Hairless Mouse,Mice, HRS,Mouse, HRS,Mouse, Inbred HRS,HRS Mice,HRS Mice, Inbred,HRS Mouse,HRS Mouse, Inbred,Inbred HRS Mice,Inbred HRS Mouse,Mouse, Hairless
D002518	Ceramides	Members of the class of neutral glycosphingolipids. They are the basic units of SPHINGOLIPIDS. They are sphingoids attached via their amino groups to a long chain fatty acyl group. They abnormally accumulate in FABRY DISEASE.	Ceramide
D004789	Enzyme Activation	Conversion of an inactive form of an enzyme to one possessing metabolic activity. It includes 1, activation by ions (activators); 2, activation by cofactors (coenzymes); and 3, conversion of an enzyme precursor (proenzyme or zymogen) to an active enzyme.	Activation, Enzyme,Activations, Enzyme,Enzyme Activations
D005699	Galactosylceramides	Cerebrosides which contain as their polar head group a galactose moiety bound in glycosidic linkage to the hydroxyl group of ceramide. Their accumulation in tissue, due to a defect in beta-galactosidase, is the cause of galactosylceramide lipidosis or globoid cell leukodystrophy.	Galactocerebrosides,Galactosyl Ceramide,Galactosyl Ceramides,Galactosylceramide,Ceramide, Galactosyl,Ceramides, Galactosyl
D005962	Glucosylceramidase	A glycosidase that hydrolyzes a glucosylceramide to yield free ceramide plus glucose. Deficiency of this enzyme leads to abnormally high concentrations of glucosylceramide in the brain in GAUCHER DISEASE. EC 3.2.1.45.	Glucocerebrosidase,Acid beta-Glucosidase,Glucocerebroside beta-Glucosidase,Glucosyl Ceramidase,Glucosylceramide beta-Glucosidase,Glucosylsphingosine Glucosyl Hydrolase,beta-Glucocerebrosidase,Acid beta Glucosidase,Ceramidase, Glucosyl,Glucocerebroside beta Glucosidase,Glucosyl Hydrolase, Glucosylsphingosine,Glucosylceramide beta Glucosidase,Hydrolase, Glucosylsphingosine Glucosyl,beta Glucocerebrosidase,beta-Glucosidase, Acid,beta-Glucosidase, Glucocerebroside,beta-Glucosidase, Glucosylceramide
D005963	Glucosylceramides	Cerebrosides which contain as their polar head group a glucose moiety bound in glycosidic linkage to the hydroxyl group of ceramides. Their accumulation in tissue, due to a defect in beta-glucosidase, is the cause of Gaucher's disease.	Glucocerebroside,Glucocerebrosides,Glucosyl Ceramide,Glucosyl Ceramides,Glucosylceramide,Ceramide, Glucosyl,Ceramides, Glucosyl
D006028	Glycosphingolipids	Lipids containing at least one monosaccharide residue and either a sphingoid or a ceramide (CERAMIDES). They are subdivided into NEUTRAL GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS comprising monoglycosyl- and oligoglycosylsphingoids and monoglycosyl- and oligoglycosylceramides; and ACIDIC GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS which comprises sialosylglycosylsphingolipids (GANGLIOSIDES); SULFOGLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS (formerly known as sulfatides), glycuronoglycosphingolipids, and phospho- and phosphonoglycosphingolipids. (From IUPAC's webpage)	Asialoganglioside,Asialogangliosides,Glycosphingolipid,Sphingoglycolipid,Sphingoglycolipids
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia