Abstract: Ceramide is an important active lipid that regulates cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, aging, tumor immunity and other vital life activities, and it is also a universal precursor for a series of important physiological sphingolipids such as glycosphingolipids. As the center of sphingolipid metabolism, the syntheses and degradations of ceramide in the body are strictly regulated. Its syntheses include de novo synthesis pathway, sphingomyelinase pathway and remedy pathway. Although de novo synthesis pathway contributes only 5%-10% to the synthesis of ceramide in the body, recent studies on key metabolic enzymes in this pathway have shown that they are closely related to many diseases, which also illustrates the complexity and importance of this pathway in the life of the organism. The purpose of this article is to systematically review the research progress of key metabolic enzymes in de novo synthesis, in order to provide a theoretical reference for further understanding of this pathway and the functions of key metabolic enzymes, and also lay an foundation for the development of personalized medicine for this pathway in the future.

Key words: ceramide, de novo synthesis, synthetase, disease correlation, three-dimensional structure