Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (565 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A group of naturally occurring N-and O-acyl derivatives of the deoxyamino sugar neuraminic acid. They are ubiquitously distributed in many tissues.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Acids, Sialic; N-Acetylneuraminic Acids; Acids, N-Acetylneuraminic; N Acetylneuraminic Acids.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Neuraminic Acids
- Narrower topics
- Cytidine Monophosphate N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; Zanamivir
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 16,053 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Sialic Acids” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 1,783 of them (11.1%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 7,404 records.
Reviews account for 1,191 records (7.4%) and meta-analyses for 29. Randomized controlled trials number 100 (0.6%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 7,404 |
| 2000-2009 | 3,295 |
| 2010-2019 | 3,571 |
| 2020 onward | 1,783 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,191 | 7.4% |
| Meta-analyses | 29 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 100 | 0.6% |
Method: PubMed query "Sialic Acids"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sialic acids in pancreatic cancer cells drive tumour-associated macrophage differentiation via the Siglec receptors Siglec-7 and Siglec-9 | 2021 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 279 | cc by PMID 33627655 · DOI · PMC7904912 |
| Host and viral determinants for efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection of the human lung | 2021 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 131 | cc by PMID 33420022 · DOI · PMC7794309 |
| Biological Functions and Analytical Strategies of Sialic Acids in Tumor | 2020 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 116 | cc by PMID 31979120 · DOI · PMC7072699 |
| Sialic acids in cancer biology and immunity-recent advancements | 2025 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 17 | cc by PMID 40885395 · DOI · PMC12494545 |
Sialic acids in pancreatic cancer cells drive tumour-associated macrophage differentiation via the Siglec receptors Siglec-7 and Siglec-9 [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Changes in glycosylation during tumour progression are a key hallmark of cancer.
- Closing excerpt
- This work highlights a critical role for sialylated glycans in controlling immune suppression and provides new potential targets for cancer immunotherapy in PDAC.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (169 words)
Changes in glycosylation during tumour progression are a key hallmark of cancer. One of the glycan moieties generally overexpressed in cancer are sialic acids, which can induce immunomodulatory properties via binding to Siglec receptors. We here show that Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumour cells present an increased sialylation that can be recognized by Siglec-7 and Siglec-9 on myeloid cells. We identified the expression of the α2,3 sialyltransferases ST3GAL1 and ST3GAL4 as main contributor to the synthesis of ligands for Siglec-7 and Siglec-9 in tumour cells. Analysing the myeloid composition in PDAC, using single cell and bulk transcriptomics data, we identified monocyte-derived macrophages as contributors to the poor clinical outcome. Tumour-derived sialic acids dictate monocyte to macrophage differentiation via signalling through Siglec-7 and Siglec-9. Moreover, triggering of Siglec-9 in macrophages reduce inflammatory programmes, while increasing PD-L1 and IL-10 expression, illustrating that sialic acids modulate different myeloid cells. This work highlights a critical role for sialylated glycans in controlling immune suppression and provides new potential targets for cancer immunotherapy in PDAC.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33627655 · DOI · PMC7904912
Host and viral determinants for efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection of the human lung [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Understanding the factors that contribute to efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection of human cells may provide insights on SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility and pathogenesis, and reveal targets of intervention.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings provide insights on the efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection of human lungs.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (141 words)
Understanding the factors that contribute to efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection of human cells may provide insights on SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility and pathogenesis, and reveal targets of intervention. Here, we analyze host and viral determinants essential for efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection in both human lung epithelial cells and ex vivo human lung tissues. We identify heparan sulfate as an important attachment factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Next, we show that sialic acids present on ACE2 prevent efficient spike/ACE2-interaction. While SARS-CoV infection is substantially limited by the sialic acid-mediated restriction in both human lung epithelial cells and ex vivo human lung tissues, infection by SARS-CoV-2 is limited to a lesser extent. We further demonstrate that the furin-like cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2 spike is required for efficient virus replication in human lung but not intestinal tissues. These findings provide insights on the efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection of human lungs.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33420022 · DOI · PMC7794309
Biological Functions and Analytical Strategies of Sialic Acids in Tumor [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Sialic acids, a subset of nine carbon acidic sugars, often exist as the terminal sugars of glycans on either glycoproteins or glycolipids on the cell surface.
- Closing excerpt
- It is expected to offer a brief introduction of sialic acid metabolism and provide advanced analytical strategies in sialic acid studies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (145 words)
Sialic acids, a subset of nine carbon acidic sugars, often exist as the terminal sugars of glycans on either glycoproteins or glycolipids on the cell surface. Sialic acids play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes via carbohydrate-protein interactions, including cell-cell communication, bacterial and viral infections. In particular, hypersialylation in tumors, as well as their roles in tumor growth and metastasis, have been widely described. Recent studies have indicated that the aberrant sialylation is a vital way for tumor cells to escape immune surveillance and keep malignance. In this article, we outline the present state of knowledge on the metabolic pathway of human sialic acids, the function of hypersialylation in tumors, as well as the recent labeling and analytical techniques for sialic acids. It is expected to offer a brief introduction of sialic acid metabolism and provide advanced analytical strategies in sialic acid studies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31979120 · DOI · PMC7072699
Sialic acids in cancer biology and immunity-recent advancements [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Tumors frequently display an aberrant glycosylation profile, often characterized by a hyperexpression of sialylated glycan moieties.
- Closing excerpt
- Recent advances in biomarker discovery and therapeutics to interfere in these processes through sialic acid inhibitors, mimetics, and targeted therapeutics will furthermore be highlighted.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (110 words)
Tumors frequently display an aberrant glycosylation profile, often characterized by a hyperexpression of sialylated glycan moieties. Here, we provide a holistic view on how sialylation alters cellular behavior in the tumor niche that not only includes tumor cells but also comprises the intricate interplay of cancer cells with stromal cells, such as fibroblasts and immune cells. We discuss how sialylation alters tumor cell biology, migration, and metastasis, as well as how it impacts local infiltration of immune cell subsets, their differentiation, and function via Siglec receptors. Recent advances in biomarker discovery and therapeutics to interfere in these processes through sialic acid inhibitors, mimetics, and targeted therapeutics will furthermore be highlighted.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40885395 · DOI · PMC12494545
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Human milk oligosaccharides: every baby needs a sugar mama [5]
- Research article Chemical diversity in the sialic acids and related alpha-keto acids: an evolutionary perspective [6]
- Research article Sialic acids in human health and disease [7]
- Research article Effectiveness of neuraminidase inhibitors in reducing mortality in patients admitted to hospital with influenza A H1N1pdm09 virus infection: a meta-analysis of individual participant data [8]
- Research article Polysialic acid in the plasticity of the developing and adult vertebrate nervous system [9]
- Research article The war against influenza: discovery and development of sialidase inhibitors [10]
References
- Rodriguez E, Boelaars K, Brown K, Eveline Li RJ, Kruijssen L, Bruijns SCM, et al.. Sialic acids in pancreatic cancer cells drive tumour-associated macrophage differentiation via the Siglec receptors Siglec-7 and Siglec-9. . 2021. PMID 33627655 · DOI · PMC7904912
- Chu H, Hu B, Huang X, Chai Y, Zhou D, Wang Y, et al.. Host and viral determinants for efficient SARS-CoV-2 infection of the human lung. . 2021. PMID 33420022 · DOI · PMC7794309
- Zhou X, Yang G, Guan F. Biological Functions and Analytical Strategies of Sialic Acids in Tumor. . 2020. PMID 31979120 · DOI · PMC7072699
- van Vliet SJ, van Kooyk Y. Sialic acids in cancer biology and immunity-recent advancements. . 2025. PMID 40885395 · DOI · PMC12494545
- Bode L. Human milk oligosaccharides: every baby needs a sugar mama. Glycobiology. 2012. PMID 22513036 · DOI · PMC3406618
- Angata T, Varki A. Chemical diversity in the sialic acids and related alpha-keto acids: an evolutionary perspective. Chem Rev. 2002. PMID 11841250 · DOI
- Varki A. Sialic acids in human health and disease. Trends Mol Med. 2008. PMID 18606570 · DOI · PMC2553044
- Muthuri SG, Venkatesan S, Myles PR, Leonardi-Bee J, Al Khuwaitir TS, Al Mamun A, et al.. Effectiveness of neuraminidase inhibitors in reducing mortality in patients admitted to hospital with influenza A H1N1pdm09 virus infection: a meta-analysis of individual participant data. Lancet Respir Med. 2014. PMID 24815805 · DOI · PMC6637757
- Rutishauser U. Polysialic acid in the plasticity of the developing and adult vertebrate nervous system. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2008. PMID 18059411 · DOI
- von Itzstein M. The war against influenza: discovery and development of sialidase inhibitors. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2007. PMID 18049471 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
See how EvidenceLib is built. Spotted an error? Email support@evidencehelix.com.
Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.