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Developmental changes in the level of free and conjugated sialic acids, Neu5Ac, Neu5Gc and KDN in different organs of pig: a LC-MS/MS quantitative analyses

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Abstract

Recent studies have shown a relationship between the level of the sialic acid (Sia), N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) in red meat and its risk in cancer, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. Unresolved is the Sia concentration in different organs of piglets during development. Our aim was to determine the level of free and conjugated forms of Neu5Gc, N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and ketodeoxynonulsonic acid (Kdn) in fresh and cooked spleen, kidney, lung, heart, liver, and skeletal muscle from 3-days-old (n = 4–8), 38-days-old (n = 10) and adult piglets (n = 4) by LC-MS/MS. Our findings show: (1) Lung tissue from 3 days-old piglets contained the highest level of total Sia (14.6 μmol/g protein) compared with other organs or age groups; (2) Unexpectedly, Neu5Gc was the major Sia in spleen (67–79 %) and adult lung (36–49 %) while free Kdn was the major Sia in skeletal muscle. Conjugated Neu5Ac was the highest Sia in other organs (61–84 %); (3) Skeletal muscle contained the lowest concentration of Neu5Gc in fresh and cooked meat; (4) Kdn accounted for <5 % of the total Sia in most organs; (5) During development, the total Sia concentration showed a 44–79 % decrease in all organs; (6) In adult piglets, the high to low rank order of total Sia was lung, heart, spleen, kidney, liver and skeletal muscle. In conclusion, the high level of Neu5Gc in all organs compared to skeletal muscle is a potential risk factor suggesting that dietary consumption of organ meats should be discouraged in favor of muscle to protect against cancer, cardiovascular and other inflammatory diseases.

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Abbreviations

Sia:

Sialic acid

Neu5Ac:

N-acetylneuraminic acid

Neu5Gc:

N-glycolylneuraminic acid

Kdn:

2-keto-3-deoxy-D-glycero- D-galacto-nononic acid (Ketodeoxynonulosonic acid)

LC-MS/MS:

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by research grants from the School of Medicine, Xiamen University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen City, 361005, People’s Republic of China

    Suna Ji, Fang Wang, Yue Chen, Changwei Yang, Panwang Zhang, Xuebing Zhang, Frederic A. Troy II & Bing Wang

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California School of Medicine, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Frederic A. Troy II

  3. School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, 2678, Australia

    Bing Wang

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  1. Suna Ji
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Correspondence to Frederic A. Troy II or Bing Wang.

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Ji, S., Wang, F., Chen, Y. et al. Developmental changes in the level of free and conjugated sialic acids, Neu5Ac, Neu5Gc and KDN in different organs of pig: a LC-MS/MS quantitative analyses. Glycoconj J 34, 21–30 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10719-016-9724-9

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