Sphingolipids are a type of lipids made up of fatty acid chains that were first mentioned in 1884 in J.L.W. Thudichum’s A Treatise on the chemical composition of the brain. They were named after the ...Sphingolipids are a type of lipids made up of fatty acid chains that were first mentioned in 1884 in J.L.W. Thudichum’s A Treatise on the chemical composition of the brain. They were named after the Greek mythological creature, the sphinx, due to the unknown riddle of their function. Sphingolipids are found in essentially all plants, animals, fungi and in some prokaryotes and viruses. Specifically, they are found in membranes and as a major component of lipoproteins.
