N-Acetylneuraminic acid (Acide aceneuramique) is a nine-carbon sialic acid monosaccharide commonly found in glycoproteins on cell membranes and in glycolipids such as gangliosides in mammalian cells. Studies have shown that N-Acetylneuraminic acid is biologically useful for neurotransmission, leukocyte extravasation, viral or bacterial infections, and carbohydrate-protein recognition.
