Nicotinamide Riboside Reduces Colitis Severity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Preclinical Findings

Synopsis

The gut microbiome produces thousands of metabolites—small molecules that influence inflammation, immunity, and disease. To better understand their roles in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), researchers analyzed over 82,000 chemical features from 546 gut metabolome samples in the Human Microbiome Project (HMP2). Using a new computational tool called MACARRoN, they identified more than 1,000 bioactive metabolites likely to affect gut inflammation, including known molecules like bile acids and short-chain fatty acids, as well as lesser-studied compounds such as bilirubin, polyamines, and vitamin derivatives. Among these, nicotinamide riboside (NR)—a vitamin B3–derived NAD+ precursor—was found to significantly reduce colitis severity in a mouse model of IBD, lowering inflammation and tissue damage. This work expands our understanding of the gut metabolome’s role in IBD and highlights NR as a promising microbiome-derived therapeutic candidate for treating intestinal inflammation.

Journal

Molecular Systems Biology