Sialic acid in sickle cell disease

Neuraminic (sialic) acid concentrations in serum from normal and sickle cell (HbSS) subjects were determined for discrete age groups from childhood through adolescence. Values in sickle cell disease were consistently lower over the entire age range. We further investigated the effect of exogenous sialic acid on the rate of sickling reversion of HbSS erythrocytes and demonstrated that this compound in millimole per liter concentrations could revert pre-sickled erythrocytes to their normal morphology in a concentration-dependent manner. When subjected to partial de-sialation with sialidase (EC 3.2.1.18), the HbSS erythrocytes not only sickled faster upon deoxygenation, they also reverted more slowly on treatment with phenylalanine (a more efficient anti-sickling agent than sialic acid) than did untreated cells. We conclude that, in sickle cell disease, erythrocyte sialic acid content could play a significant role, not only in the control of the sickling rate in vivo, but also, after sickling has occurred, in the rate of recovery from a sickling crisis.