Ceramide changes in abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue among diabetic and nondiabetic patients

BACKGROUND: This study profiles ceramides extracted from visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue of human subjects by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry to determine a correlation with status of diabetes and gender. METHODS: Samples of visceral and abdominal wall subcutaneous adipose tissue (n = 36 and n = 31, respectively) were taken during laparoscopic surgery from 36 patients (14 nondiabetic, 22 diabetic and prediabetic) undergoing bariatric surgery with a body mass index (BMI) >35 kg/m(2) with ≥1 existing comorbidity or BMI ≥40 kg/m(2). Sphingolipids were extracted and analyzed using liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry. RESULTS: After logarithm 2 conversion, paired analysis of visceral to subcutaneous tissue showed differential accumulation of Cer(d18:1/16:0), Cer(d18:1/18:0), and Cer(d18:1/24:1) in visceral tissue of prediabetic/diabetic female subjects, but not in males. Within‐tissue analysis showed higher mean levels of ceramide species linked to insulin resistance, such as Cer(d18:1/18:0) and Cer(d18:1/16:0), in visceral tissue of prediabetic/diabetic patients compared with nondiabetic subjects and higher content of Cer(d18:1/14:0) in subcutaneous tissue of insulin‐resistant female patients compared with prediabetic/diabetic males. Statistically significant differences in mean levels of ceramide species between insulin‐resistant African American and insulin‐resistant Caucasian patients were not evident in visceral or subcutaneous tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of ceramides is important for developing a better understanding of biological processes underlying type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. Knowledge of the accumulated ceramides/dihydroceramides may reflect on the prelipolytic state that leads the lipotoxic phase of insulin resistance and may shed light on the predisposition to insulin resistance by gender.