Therapeutic Potential of NAD-Boosting Molecules: The In Vivo Evidence

Cell Metab. 2018 Mar 6;27(3):529-547. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.02.011.

Abstract

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), the cell's hydrogen carrier for redox enzymes, is well known for its role in redox reactions. More recently, it has emerged as a signaling molecule. By modulating NAD+-sensing enzymes, NAD+ controls hundreds of key processes from energy metabolism to cell survival, rising and falling depending on food intake, exercise, and the time of day. NAD+ levels steadily decline with age, resulting in altered metabolism and increased disease susceptibility. Restoration of NAD+ levels in old or diseased animals can promote health and extend lifespan, prompting a search for safe and efficacious NAD-boosting molecules that hold the promise of increasing the body's resilience, not just to one disease, but to many, thereby extending healthy human lifespan.

Keywords: CD38; PARP1; STAC; aging; cancer; cardiovascular disease; chromatin; epigenetics; inflammation; nicotinamide mononucleotide; nicotinamide riboside; sirtuins.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Humans
  • Longevity*
  • NAD / metabolism*
  • NAD / pharmacology*
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • NAD