Nicotinamide Riboside Enhances Restores Stem Cell Function in Aging Adipose Tissue: Preclinical Findings

Synopsis

As people age, body fat redistributes, with less fat stored under the skin and more accumulating around internal organs—a shift linked to insulin resistance and metabolic decline. This process is partly due to the loss of regenerative ability in adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), which are responsible for forming and renewing fat tissue. In this study, researchers found that aging impairs ASC “stemness”—their ability to remain youthful and repair tissue—due to oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Treating these cells with nicotinamide riboside (NR), a vitamin B3–derived NAD+ precursor, restored NAD+ levels, reduced mitochondrial overactivity and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and enhanced the expression of genes that maintain stem cell function. NR also prevented premature fat cell formation, helping preserve stem cell quality. These findings suggest that NR supplementation could help rejuvenate aging fat stem cells, potentially improving metabolic health and tissue regeneration.

Journal

Pharmaceuticals