6'-Sialyllactose consists of the monosaccharide N-acetylneuraminic acid linked to the galactosyl subunit of lactose at the 6 position. This connection is at the 3 position in the related compound, 3’-sialyllactose . Both are major milk oligosaccharides that avidly bind several viral strains, including strains of influenza, HIV-1, reovirus, and polyomavirus. These compounds can be used to differentiate and characterize the binding domains of viruses that recognize N-acetylneuraminic acid-capped cell surface receptors. They are also used as analytical reference standards for quantification in samples such as milk or colostrum.
