Sphingolipids (SLs) are a unique class of nitrogen-linked lipids that are involved in membrane structure, cell signaling, and other important cellular processes. Abnormal sphingolipid metabolism is observed in several diseases including cancer, diabetes, metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. However, the direct study of SLs has been hampered by their ubiquitous presence in cells and their complex metabolism. In the past few decades, efforts have been focused on creating synthetic probes and chemical tools to study SLs and decipher their roles in cellular biology. In this brief perspective, we seek to provide a concise snapshot of recently developed state-of-the-art chemical tools in SL research and the challenges that can be addressed through further development of SL probes.

鞘脂 (SLs) 是一类独特的氮连接脂质，参与膜结构、细胞信号传导和其他重要的细胞过程。在几种疾病中观察到异常的鞘脂代谢，包括癌症、糖尿病、代谢紊乱和神经退行性疾病，如阿尔茨海默氏症。然而，SLs 的直接研究受到了它们在细胞中普遍存在及其复杂代谢的阻碍。在过去的几十年里，人们一直致力于创造合成探针和化学工具来研究 SL 并破译它们在细胞生物学中的作用。在这个简短的视角中，我们力求提供最近开发的 SL 研究中最先进的化学工具的简明快照，以及可以通过进一步开发 SL 探针来解决的挑战。