NAD+ in Alzheimer’s Disease: Molecular Mechanisms and Systematic Therapeutic Evidence Obtained in vivo
Wang X, He H-J, Xiong X, Zhou S, Wang W-W, Feng L, Han R and Xie C-L.
Front. Cell Dev. Biol. 9:668491.
DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.668491
Editorial: My sense (and I don't know why you'd trust it) of the use and mechanism of NAD+ is that science hasn't yet arrived at a point where you could reliably expect to drug yourself (via OTC supplements or otherwise) and get consistent, well-defined positive results for AD or much of anything else. (Although I have enormous respect for the power of the placebo effect and if you could find a mechanism to causes your body to get to your desired result, that's great.)Mitochondria in neurons generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to provide the necessary energy required for constant activity. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a vital intermediate metabolite involved in cellular bioenergetics, ATP production, mitochondrial homeostasis, and adaptive stress responses. Exploration of the biological functions of NAD+ has been gaining momentum, providing many crucial insights into the pathophysiology of age-associated functional decline and diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we systematically review the key roles of NAD+ precursors and related metabolites in AD models and show how NAD+ affects the pathological hallmarks of AD and the potential mechanisms of action. Advances in understanding the molecular roles of NAD+-based neuronal resilience will result in novel approaches for the treatment of AD and set the stage for determining whether the results of exciting preclinical trials can be translated into the clinic to improve AD patients’ phenotypes.
Anyway, the author's perspective starts at Future Perspectives and might be worth reading even if you don't want to look through the various results considered in the body of the paper.