NAD+

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a central coenzyme in cellular energy metabolism, serving as the electron carrier in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and as a substrate for a class of enzymes — sirtuins, PARPs, and CD38/CD157 ectoenzymes — that use NAD+ in non-redox signaling reactions. Its role as a sirtuin substrate is what drove the surge of interest in NAD+ biology over the past two decades: sirtuins (SIRT1-7) regulate protein deacetylation, mitochondrial biogenesis, DNA repair, and inflammatory signaling in ways that appear to overlap significantly with NAD+ and sirtuin-pathway activity. The problem is that NAD+ levels decline measurably with age across most mammalian tissues studied.

Research Context

The decline in NAD+ with aging has been attributed to increased consumption (more PARP activity in response to accumulated DNA damage, more CD38 activity during chronic inflammation) combined with reduced biosynthesis from precursors. This has made NAD+ and its precursors (NMN, NR, niacin, tryptophan) major targets in aging and metabolic research. The mechanistic questions are far from settled: which NAD+-consuming enzyme is most relevant to age-related pathology varies by tissue, and whether raising NAD+ levels achieves meaningful SIRT1 activation in vivo under normal dietary conditions is genuinely debated.

Direct NAD+ supplementation has the bioavailability challenge that the molecule is poorly membrane-permeable and is degraded in the gut. Precursor approaches (NMN, NR) have better oral bioavailability but add their own pharmacokinetic complexity. Research applications for research-grade NAD+ include cell culture experiments where you want to raise intracellular NAD+ acutely without precursor conversion kinetics, and in vivo bolus studies examining short-term NAD+-dependent signaling events.

Specifications

Skladování

Store at -20°C, protected from light and moisture. NAD+ is significantly less stable than its precursors NMN and NR — the adenylate ester bond is hydrolyzable under acidic conditions and NAD+ oxidizes to NADH and vice versa in non-inert atmospheres. Reconstitute in cold, pH-neutral water immediately before use and do not store reconstituted solutions. Single-use aliquots from the lyophilized stock are the practical approach for sensitive experiments.

NAD+ is supplied for laboratory research. Not for human use. For research purposes only.