NAD+ in aging, metabolism, and neurodegeneration

Abstract Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme found in all living cells. It serves both as a critical coenzyme for enzymes that fuel reduction-oxidation reactions, carrying electrons from one reaction to another, and as a cosubstrate for other enzymes such as the sirtuins and poly(adenosine diphosphate–ribose) polymerases. Cellular NAD+ concentrations change during aging, and modulation of NAD+ usage or production can prolong both health span and life span. Here we review factors that regulate NAD+ and discuss how supplementation with NAD+ precursors may represent a new therapeutic opportunity for aging and its associated disorders, particularly neurodegenerative diseases.

Science 04 Dec 2015:

Vol. 350, Issue 6265, pp. 1208-1213

DOI: 10.1126/science.aac4854