Moreover, in lung tissue biopsies of patients with malaria-related ALI, it was found that sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) expression was abnormally upregulated in alveolar epithelial cells and endothelial cells, while the level of its metabolite, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), was reduced. Here, SPHK1 is linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome.