From "Serum Sickness" to "Xenosialitis": Past, Present, and Future Significance of the Non-human Sialic Acid Neu5Gc.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and mechanistic synthesis with no new empirical human data
PubMed 31057542 · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2019.00807
What was done
This is a narrative review summarizing the history, mechanisms, and biomedical implications of the non-human mammalian sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). The authors synthesize the discovery of serum sickness antibodies, the human-lineage specific CMAH gene mutation preventing endogenous Neu5Gc synthesis, metabolic incorporation of dietary Neu5Gc from red meat, and the resulting immune response.
Cited by
- contradicts Red meat contains the sialic acid Neu5Gc, which triggers an inflammatory response in all humans due to CMAH gene inactivation.