Galactosylceramide
Class of chemical compounds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A galactosylceramide, or galactocerebroside is a type of cerebroside consisting of a ceramide with a galactose residue at the 1-hydroxyl moiety.
The galactose is cleaved by galactosylceramidase.
Galactosylceramide is a marker for oligodendrocytes in the brain, whether or not they form myelin.[1][2]
α-Galactosylceramides are immunomodulatory and prevents or reduces autoimmune disorders such as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, bowel disease.[3] Studies have found α-Galactosylceramides in the large intestines, produced by Bacteriodes, which activate iNKT cells via a CD1 dependent mechanism and plays a role in immune regulation.[4]
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