N-acetylneuraminic acidis an important component of gangliosides in the brain. The N-acetylneuraminic acid content of nerve cell membranes is 20 times that of other cells. As the transmission of brain information and nerve impulses must be achieved through synapses, and N-acetylneuraminic acid is a brain nutrient that acts on brain cell membranes and synapses, N-acetylneuraminic acid can promote the development of memory and intelligence. 













Infant formula food:

The study found that increasing the amount of N-acetylneuraminic acid in the lactation diet increased the amount of N-acetylneuraminic acid in the baby's brain, and the expression level of learning-related genes increased, thereby enhancing their learning and memory abilities. Stable synaptic links of nerve cells are the structural basis of memory formation, while N-acetylneuraminic acid is a nutrient for nerve cell membranes and synapses, which can promote the differentiation, development and regeneration of nerve cells. 


Many well-known infant formula manufacturers claim to add sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid) to their formulas. In 2003, the Ministry of Health Malaysia approved sialic acid as a permitted nutrition additive. Infant formulas such as Mead Johnson, Kalotani, Meso and Snow Brand sold in the Southeast Asian market clearly indicate the sialic acid content in their nutrition facts list. With the promotion of the market, the market capacity of sialic acid in infant milk powder and complementary food will have a rapid development.

 

Food Supplements:

N-acetylneuraminic acid depletes toxic hydrogen peroxide. Japanese researchers observed effects for the toxicity of hydrogen peroxide to cells in a medium with N-acetylneuraminic acid, and confirmed that N-acetylneuraminic acid can inhibit cell death caused by hydrogen peroxide. The results showed that N-acetylneuraminic acid could be used as a reactive oxygen species scavenger. 


At the same time, N-acetylneuraminic acid has a very good anti-inflammatory effect and can also improve the intestinal absorption of vitamins and minerals. Sweets containing sialic acid are popular in Japan where N-acetylneuraminic acid is used as a nutritional supplement.

 

Anti-influenza and anti-Alzheimer's drugs:

There is a lot of medical research on N-acetylneuraminic acid, which is widely used in the field of pharmaceutical intermediates and has a certain scale of market. The larger capacity of the international drug precursor market is the anti-influenza drug Zanamivir, which is an effective influenza virus N-acetylneuraminic acid inhibitor for the prevention and treatment of influenza, and the synthesis process is modified by N-acetylneuraminic acid monomer. N-acetylneuraminic acid has a protective and stabilizing effect on nerve cells. 


Proteases located on the surface of nerve cell membranes bind to N-acetylneuraminic acid and are not degraded by extracellular proteases. In some neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, the level of N-acetylneuraminic acid in the blood or brain decreases, and after recovery from drug treatment, the level of N-acetylneuraminic acid returns to normal, indicating that N-acetylneuraminic acid is involved in the metabolism of nerve cells.

 

Cosmetics:

N-acetylneuraminic acid ointments and sprays have been developed in Japan to maintain healthy hair growth. The products are sold as a cosmetic rather than a drug. Due to the antioxidant effect of N-acetylneuraminic acid found in recent studies, it can be reasonably added to cosmetic creams or creams, which has brought a huge potential market for N-acetylneuraminic acid.