6-Sulfo-d-GlcNAc with a molecular geometry close to that of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) was hypothesized to serve as a simple Neu5Ac mimic possessing high potential in biochemical and medicinal applications. The hypothesis was evidenced with a neuraminidase inhibition assay using p-nitrophenyl (pNP) 3-, 4-, and 6-sulfo-β-d-GlcNAc (4, 5 and 2a) and 6-sulfo-β-d-Glc 6, in which only pNP 6-sulfo-β-d-GlcNAc 2a was found to ...