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.
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