N-Acetylneuraminic acid

N-Acetylneuraminic acid (NANA; Lactaminic acid), a nonphenolic structure, is the predominant form of sialic from Collocalia esculenta. N-Acetylneuraminic acid plays a biological role in myocardial injury, melanoma and viral or bacterial infection. N-Acetylneuraminic acid inhibits melanogenesis by reducing tyrosinase activity and triggers myocardial injury in vitro and in vivo by activation of the Rho/Rho-associated signaling pathway through binding to RhoA and Cdc42. N-Acetylneuraminic acid may prevent high fat diet (HFD)-induced inflammation and oxidative stress, thereby prevents hyperlipidemia-associated inflammation and oxidative stress. N-Acetylneuraminic acid is promising for research in the field of melanoma, coronary artery, obesity-related diseases and hyperlipidemia^{[1][2][3][4][5]}. In Vitro: N-Acetylneuraminic acid (0 - 2 mg/mL, 2 days) has no effect on cell proliferation, but significantly decreases tyrosinase protein level, the number of melanosomes, p62 protein level and increases CCT3, CCT5, LC3-II protein level mRNA levels in B16 melanoma cells^[1].
N-Acetylneuraminic acid (0 - 500 μM, 12 h) specifically binds to RhoA and Cdc42 and activates Rho/ROCK-JNK/ERK signaling in cardiomyocytes^[2].
In Vivo: N-Acetylneuraminic acid (0 - 20 mg/kg, i.p., twice a day for 6 weeks) triggers myocardial injury in healthy rats^[2].