Application Notes:
This product contains the gangliosides asialo GM1, GM1, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b in approximately equal amounts. It is a
qualitative mixture prepared from highly pure materials and is in chloroform/methanol/water (2:1:0.1). The defining
characteristic of gangliosides is the sialic acid moiety of the oligosaccharide head group. This mixture contains gangliosides
having one, two, and three sialic acids as well as an asialo ganglioside. 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.3 The accumulation of gangliosides has been linked to several diseases including Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease.
An autoimmune response against gangliosides can lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome. Gangliosides act as receptors for various
toxins and bacteria, accumulate in different tumors, and aid in many neuronal functions. Therefore they are very important in
therapeutic processes. This is a qualitative mixture and should not be used for quantitative purposes.
References:
1. L. Svennerholm et al. (eds.), Structure and Function of Gangliosides, New York, Plenum, 1980
2. T. Kolter, R. Proia, K. Sandhoff, “Combinatorial Ganglioside Biosynthesis” J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 277:29 pp. 25859-25862, 2002
3. S. Birkle et al. “Role of tumor-associated gangliosides in cancer progression” Biochimie, Vol. 85 pp. 455–463, 2003