Background: Ceramide is the second messenger in the sphingomyelin signaling pathway. It is also synthesized de novo and sphinganine is the key precursor in this pathway. Ceramide is hydrolyzed to sphingosine.Both sphingosine and sphinganine have been shown to be present in the blood. The aim of the present study was to examine the concentrations of sphingosine and sphinganine in the plasma
of patients with Type 2 diabetes.Material/Methods: Blood was obtained from 15 patients with Type 2 diabetes treated at the outpatient division of the Ward for Internal Diseases, Endocrinology, and Diabetes of the Białystok Regional Hospital. Control blood samples were obtained from 11 healthy persons recruited from among the staff of the hospital.The concentrations of both compounds were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.Results: It was found that in the group of patients the concentrations of plasma sphingosine and sphinganine were elevated compared with the healthy control subjects (by 55 and 45%, respectively).Conclusions: Increased concentrations of plasma sphingosine and sphinganine indicate th

Keywords: Sphingosine - blood, Sphingosine - metabolism, Blood Glucose - metabolism, Cholesterol - metabolism, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - metabolism, Sphingosine - metabolism