Electrochemical Behavior of Nicotinamide Riboside Reveals Its Activity in Biological Systems: Preclinical Findings

Synopsis

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is a popular supplement that boosts NAD+, a molecule important for energy metabolism and functions like vision, hearing, and cognition. NAD+ naturally declines with age, which is why NR is used to help counteract age-related declines. To better understand how NR behaves in biological systems, researchers studied its electrochemical properties using techniques like voltammetry, amperometry, bulk electrolysis, and mass spectrometry. They found that NR undergoes a one-electron reduction, forms a kinetic product that can be oxidized, and eventually forms a dimer as the main thermodynamic product. Interestingly, NR behaves differently in whole cell lysates compared to simple solution, highlighting that its chemical reactions can vary in real biological environments.

Journal

ChemElectroChem