N-omega-CD₃-Octadecanoyl disialoganglioside GD₃ (NH₄⁺ salt)

As this product is derived from a natural source, there may be variations in the sphingoid backbone.

Gangliosides¹ are acidic glycosphingolipids that form lipid rafts in the outer leaflet of the cell plasma membrane, especially in neuronal cells in the central nervous system.² They participate in cellular proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, signal transduction, cell-to-cell interactions, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. The accumulation of gangliosides has been linked to several diseases including Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease. GD₃ is predominantly expressed during neuronal development and its expression becomes very limited in adult tissues. GD₃ expression is unusually high in basal cell carcinomas and malignant melanomas and is thought to be a human melanoma-specific antigen. Although GD₃ is not immunogenic it has been investigated as a tool for immunotargeting human melanoma cells.3 Over expression of GD₃ has led to apoptosis by recruiting mitochondria to apoptotic pathways and suppressing NF-κB activation and subsequent κB-dependent gene induction.⁴ Increased levels of GD₃ have also been found to be associated with proliferative diseases, such as atherosclerosis. A recent study has demonstrated that inhibition of GD₃ synthase, thereby decreasing levels of GD₃, has neuroprotective properties in a Parkinson's model and may warrant further investigation as a therapeutic target.⁵ Stable isotope labeled GD₃ is a new mass spectrometry internal standard that can greatly enhance ganglioside studies.⁶