What is NAD+?
NAD+ is a coenzyme found in every living cell. Here is what it does, how cells make and recycle it, and why its decline with age has become a major focus of research.
At a glance
- Full name
- Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidised form)
- Forms
- NAD+ (oxidised) and NADH (reduced)
- Class
- Coenzyme (dinucleotide)
- Molecular formula
- C21H27N7O14P2
- Molecular weight
- ≈ 663.4 g/mol
- CAS number
- 53-84-9
- Appearance
- White lyophilized powder
- Our fill size
- 500mg
Two jobs in the cell
Carrying electrons
NAD+ is a coenzyme for the redox reactions at the centre of energy metabolism. It picks up electrons, becoming NADH, in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, and hands them on to the mitochondrial chain that makes most of the cell's ATP. In this role it is recycled, not used up.1
Fuel for signalling enzymes
NAD+ is also consumed by enzymes outside energy metabolism: the sirtuins, the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) and CD38. Through them it influences metabolic pathways, DNA repair, chromatin remodelling, cellular senescence and immune-cell function.1 Unlike its redox role, this use breaks NAD+ down, so cells have to keep making more.
How cells make and recycle it
Cells have three routes to NAD+: they can build it from the amino acid tryptophan, make it from nicotinic acid (a form of vitamin B3), or recycle it from nicotinamide, which the NAD+-consuming enzymes release. The recycling route, known as the salvage pathway, supplies most of the cell's NAD+.1 Precursors that feed these routes, such as nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), are widely studied as ways to raise NAD+ levels.2
NAD+ and ageing
Tissue and cellular NAD+ levels decline gradually with age in several model organisms, including rodents and humans. Research links that decline to many age-associated conditions, including cognitive decline, metabolic disease, sarcopenia and frailty.1 In animal studies, restoring NAD+ levels in old or diseased animals promoted health and extended lifespan, which is why NAD+ metabolism has become a major target in ageing research.2
The ageing findings above come mainly from animal models. Human studies are smaller and still under way.
Where NAD+ is used in the lab
Researchers use NAD+ to study energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, sirtuin and PARP activity, and cellular senescence, either directly or alongside compounds that act on the same pathways. In our catalog those include 5-Amino-1MQ, studied as a modulator of nicotinamide metabolism, the mitochondrial peptides MOTS-C and SS-31, and the antioxidant glutathione.
Handling NAD+ in the lab
Lyophilized NAD+ is stable stored frozen at −4 °F and protected from light. Let a vial reach room temperature before opening, reconstitute with bacteriostatic water added slowly down the side of the vial, swirl rather than shake, and keep the solution refrigerated at 36–46 °F. NAD+ in solution is less stable than the dry powder, especially when warm or at alkaline pH, so prepare solutions fresh and keep them cold.
Before using any lot, check its certificate of analysis. Our current NAD+ lot, VD-NAD500-2610, tested at 99.10% purity by HPLC with identity confirmed by LC-MS at VeriPure Labs. View the certificate ↗ or see every lot on our lab reports page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between NAD, NAD+ and NADH?
NAD is the general name for the coenzyme. NAD+ is its oxidised form, ready to accept electrons; NADH is the reduced form, carrying them.
Why do NAD+ levels fall with age?
Research points to a mix of reduced production and increased consumption by NAD+-using enzymes such as CD38. Levels decline gradually in several species, including humans.
What are NR and NMN?
Nicotinamide riboside and nicotinamide mononucleotide are NAD+ precursors: molecules cells can convert into NAD+. They are widely studied as ways to raise NAD+ levels.
Is research NAD+ for human use?
No. Vivid DNA supplies NAD+ strictly for laboratory research. It is not a drug, food or supplement, and is not for human or veterinary use.
References
- Covarrubias AJ, Perrone R, Grozio A, Verdin E. NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes during ageing. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 2021;22(2):119–141. PMC7963035 ↗
- Rajman L, Chwalek K, Sinclair DA. Therapeutic potential of NAD-boosting molecules: the in vivo evidence. Cell Metabolism. 2018;27(3):529–547. PubMed 29514064 ↗
More research overviews
Research use only. Vivid DNA products are sold strictly for laboratory research. They are not drugs, foods, cosmetics or supplements, are not for human or veterinary use, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Clinical results described here refer to investigational or approved medicines studied under medical supervision, not to research-grade material. This article summarises published research and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.