• A type of lipid (fat) found in the membranes of cells and the covers of nerves. Some ceramides are important in signal transduction (the process by which a cell responds to substances in its environment) and may cause some types of cells to die. Ceramides are being studied in the treatment of cancer.
  NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• N-acyl sphingosine, a neutral lipid with 2 long aliphatic tails, the parent compound of sphingolipids.
  CRISP Thesaurus
  National Institutes of Health, 2006
• One of a number of a class of sphingolipids, N-acyl derivatives with long chains. Ceramide is the core molecule for the synthesis of sphingomyelin, an essential lipid for myelination and neurotransmission; it may function as a second messenger to stimulate differentiation, inhibit proliferation, and induce apoptosis. (NCI04)
  NCI Thesaurus
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• 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.
  NLM Medical Subject Headings
  U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021