Separation and detection of ceramides by HPLC followed by evaporative light-scattering detection and thin layer chromatography

Ceramides are important signaling molecules involved in a variety of cellular processes, including cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Currently, different methods are used for ceramide analysis, some of which are insensitive or cumbersome. This paper described methods utilizing thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) to detect ceramide directly in cell extracts without derivatization, which was proved to be efficient and reproducible. Five kinds of ceramides were used as standards. Both TLC and normal-phase HPLC /ELSD results indicate that yeast contains several kinds of ceramides.