Figure 4.

Ceramides and sphingolipids in breast cancer progression. S1P is a critical molecule involved in the modulation of angiogenesis. In endothelial cells, it has been demonstrated that S1P promotes proliferation, migration, and chemotaxis, resulting in the generation of intra-tumoral blood vessels that facilitate the process of metastasis. Moreover, S1P induces migration and invasion of breast cancer cells, promoting the process of tumor intravasation. Finally, in tumor cells, the SMase enzyme shows high activity, promoting the biogenesis and secretion of exosomes, extracellular vesicles that modulate angiogenesis, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy. Image adapted from references: [14,120,132,136].