NAD+

Overview

NAD+ is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a redox coenzyme present in every living cell and one of the most studied molecules in biochemistry. It is not a peptide, and we group it under cellular and metabolic compounds for that reason. It cycles between an oxidised form, NAD+, and a reduced form, NADH, carrying electrons between the reactions of glycolysis, the citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Beyond that classical role it is consumed as a substrate by three families of enzymes, which is what has driven the recent research interest. We supply it as a powder at 500mg per vial with an independent certificate of analysis.

Mechanism of Action

The distinction that matters for assay design is between NAD+ as a cofactor and NAD+ as a substrate. In redox reactions it is recycled and its total pool is unchanged. In contrast the sirtuins, the poly-ADP-ribose polymerases and CD38 cleave NAD+ and consume it, releasing nicotinamide, so their activity is directly limited by how much NAD+ is available. Imai and Guarente set out the sirtuin dependence [3], Canto and colleagues review the balance between the mitochondrial and nuclear pools [2], and Verdin covers the wider picture in ageing and metabolism [1]. NAD+ is hygroscopic and degrades in solution faster than most peptides, so it should be reconstituted immediately before use rather than stored dissolved. Not for human or veterinary use.

Research Effects

References

1. [1]Verdin E. NAD+ in aging, metabolism, and neurodegeneration. Science. 2015. PMID 26785480 · doi:10.1126/science.aac4854
2. [2]Canto C, Menzies KJ, Auwerx J. NAD+ Metabolism and the Control of Energy Homeostasis: A Balancing Act between Mitochondria and the Nucleus. Cell Metab. 2015. PMID 26118927 · doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2015.05.023
3. [3]Imai S, Guarente L. NAD+ and sirtuins in aging and disease. Trends Cell Biol. 2014. PMID 24786309 · doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2014.04.002

Cited for the molecular pathways described above. Listing a study is not a claim about any outcome in humans.