Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) involves a panel of pathologies starting with hepatic steatosis and continuing to irreversible and serious conditions like steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatocarcinoma. NAFLD is multifactorial in origin and corresponds to abnormal fat deposition in liver. Even if triglycerides are mostly associated with these pathologies, other lipid moieties seem to be involved in the development and severity of NAFLD. That is the case with sphingolipids and more particularly ceramides. In this review, we explore the relationship between NAFLD and sphingolipid metabolism. After providing an analysis of complex sphingolipid metabolism, we focus on the potential involvement of sphingolipids in the different pathologies associated with NAFLD. An unbalanced ratio between ceramides and terminal metabolic products in the liver and plasma promotes weight gain, inflammation, and insulin resistance. In the etiology of NAFLD, some sphingolipid species such as ceramides may be potential biomarkers for NAFLD. We review the clinical relevance of sphingolipids in liver diseases.

非酒精性脂肪肝疾病（NAFLD）涉及一系列病理，从肝脂肪变性开始，一直到不可逆转的严重疾病，例如脂肪性肝炎（NASH）和肝癌。NAFLD是多因素起源的，与肝脏中异常脂肪沉积相对应。即使甘油三酸酯主要与这些病理相关，其他脂质部分似乎也参与了NAFLD的发展和严重程度。鞘脂尤其是神经酰胺就是这种情况。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了NAFLD与鞘脂代谢之间的关系。在提供了复杂的鞘脂代谢的分析后，我们集中于鞘脂在与NAFLD相关的不同病理中的潜在参与。肝脏和血浆中神经酰胺与末端代谢产物之间的不平衡比例会促进体重增加，炎症和胰岛素抵抗。在NAFLD的病因学中，某些鞘脂类物种（如神经酰胺）可能是NAFLD的潜在生物标志物。我们审查了鞘脂在肝脏疾病中的临床相关性。