A crystalline compound of which derivatives occur in many animal substances, chiefly as sialic acids.
A sugar with amino and acid groups; chemical formula: C₉H₁₇NO₈
‘When a flu virus enters your nose, it latches onto the first thing it finds with a neuraminic acid on it, mucus.’
‘FIG. 3 is a mass spectrometric spectrum of N-glycolyl neuraminic acid obtained by the inventive method.’
‘Cutting out neuraminic acid from the cell membrane weakens the cell membrane.’
‘The dialysable neuraminic acid does not, however, appear to be free, but rather to be bound to hexose and nitrogenous residues in glycopeptide-like low molecular weight compounds.’
‘All three finally agreed to use sialic acid as the family name covering all of the more than thirty derivatives of neuraminic acid, with N-acetylneuraminic acid and N-glycolylneuraminic acid forming the core structures.’
Origin
1940s neuraminic from neuro-(because it was originally isolated from brain tissue) + amine+ -ic.
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