N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc) (LacNAc)

N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc) is a fundamental disaccharide composed of galactose linked to N-acetylglucosamine, serving as a critical building block for complex glycans on cell surfaces and secreted proteins (PubChem CID 439183). It is the primary recognition motif for galectins, a family of carbohydrate-binding proteins that play pivotal roles in immune regulation, cell adhesion, and apoptosis (PubMed: 29453302). In pathological conditions such as cancer, LacNAc-containing glycans are often overexpressed or modified, facilitating tumor metastasis and immune evasion by modulating the activity of Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 (PubMed: 30634414). While LacNAc itself is a structural glycan component rather than a protein target, it serves as the chemical template for the design of galectin inhibitors, which aim to competitively block the interaction between galectins and their natural glycan ligands (PubMed: 31554230). Therapeutic agents like GB1211 and Belapectin, which are LacNAc mimetics or derivatives, are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of fibrosis, inflammation, and various solid tumors (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Other names

Gal-beta-1,4-GlcNAcN-acetyl-D-lactosamine2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-O-(beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-D-glucopyranoseLacNAc disaccharide

Competitive inhibition of galectin binding to endogenous N-acetyllactosamine-containing glycans