Application Notes:
Sulfatide is a type of sulfolipid that is found primarily in the central nervous system and is a myelin-specific sphingolipid. A
deficiency of sulfatide in white and gray matter has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
Apoliprotein E plays an important regulating role in the metabolism of sulfatides.1 A production of anti-sulfatide antibodies
in the cerebrospinal fluid, leading to a deficiency in sulfatides, may be a cause of degeneration of the myelin sheath, leading
to multiple sclerosis.2 Metachromatic leukodystrophy is an inherited disorder characterized by a deficiency of the lysosomal
enzyme arylsulfatase A and the subsequent accumulation of sulfatide in neural and visceral tissues.3 An immunomodulatory
role for sulfatides has been suggested in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Sulfatides decrease the in vitro production of
proinflammatory cytokines. Tetracosanoyl sulfatide is the predominant natural sulfatide species.4
References:
1. H. Cheng, Y. Zhou, D. M. Holtzman, X. Han “Apolipoprotein E mediates sulfatide depletion in animal models of Alzheimer's disease.” Neurobiology of Aging August 2008
2. Ramesh C. Halder, A. Jahng, I. Maricic and Vipin Kumar “Mini Review: Immune Response to Myelin-Derived Sulfatide and CNS-Demyelination” Neurochemical Research, February, Vol. 32(2): 257, 2007
3. Phillip D. Whitfield, Peter C. Sharp, David W. Johnson, Paul Nelson and Peter J. Meikle “Characterization of Urinary Sulfatides in Metachromatic Leukodystrophy Using Electrospray Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry” Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, May Vol. 73(1): 30, 2001
4. D. Zajonc et al. “Structural basis for CD1d presentation of a sulfatide derived from myelin and its implications for autoimmunity” The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol. 202(11) pp. 1517, 2005