Nicotinamide Riboside Promotes Spinal Cord Repair: Preclinical Findings

Synopsis

Repairing the spinal cord after injury is extremely difficult because nerve cells do not easily regenerate. One promising strategy is to activate endogenous neural stem cells (NSCs)—the body’s own repair cells—to restore nerve tissue. This study found that nicotinamide riboside (NR), a vitamin B3–derived NAD+ precursor, significantly promotes the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of NSCs, helping repair spinal cord injuries in mice. NR treatment improved motor function recovery in the lower limbs and worked by activating the Wnt signaling pathway through the LGR5 gene, which regulates stem cell growth. When LGR5 or the Wnt pathway was blocked, NR’s effects disappeared, confirming this mechanism. These findings show that NR enhances spinal cord regeneration by activating LGR5–Wnt signaling, offering a new therapeutic approach for improving recovery after spinal cord injury.

Journal

Stem Cell Reviews and Reports