Inhibition of ceramide de novo synthesis as a postischemic strategy to reduce myocardial reperfusion injury

In this paper it is shown that, after transient coronary occlusion in mice, an increased de novo ceramide synthesis takes place at reperfusion in the ischemic area surrounding necrosis (area at risk). This correlates with the enhanced expression of the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the de novo pathway, serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT).