ChromaDex Corp. announced the recent publication of preclinical studies evaluating the potential benefits of Niagen, the company’s NAD+ product which is available commercially as a supplement, Tru Niagen, or as an ingredient available for formulations.
 
Niagen helps to increase NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) levels, which is believed to bolster cellular health in a way that counteracts or reduces the progression of numerous degenerative conditions. Several trials to date have concluded that NIAGEN can raise NAD+ levels and result in positive outcomes in preclinical models of aging, fertility, and circadian rhythms, and in a clinical study on liver function. Several of these studies were supported by the ChromaDex External Research Program (CERP), which offers the patented Niagen Ingredient to research institutions and universities at no cost.
 
Niagen, a branded from of nicotinamide riboside, is a biological precursor that the body converts to NAD+, a chemical found within all living cells that is central to metabolism. NAD+ levels are shown to decline in the human body as people age.
 
“Niagen continues to intrigue the scientific community with its potential to support and maintain cellular function across conditions and organ systems,” ChromaDex CEO Rob Fried said. “We remain committed to exploring the full potential of this remarkable cellular nutrient and appreciate the partnerships from leading research institutions across the globe.”
 
Study on Inflammation
 
One of the recently-published studies supported by CERP appeared in the journal Biochemical Pharmacology, which found that nicotinamide riboside was unique in its ability in vitro to reduce inflammation in endothelial cells from mice. Recsearchers concluded that Niagen modulated intracellular content in the endothelium, which could “represent an important vasoprotective mechanism to maintain intracellular NAD.”
 
The endothelial cells were sourced from mice modeled after Alzheimer’s Disease which were experiencing endothelial inflammation, and were used in vitro.
 
Liver Function
 
Another small human pilot study supported by CERP evaluated the efficacy of Niagen supplementation in improving liver function by decreasing liver fat content, which is affected by a number of metabolic conditions, in combination with the supplementation of other well-known nutrients. In a pool of otherwise healthy study participants who had hepatic steatosis (defined as the accumulation of large vacuoles of triglycerides in the liver, the nine healthy male subjects saw statistically significant benefits in biomarker expression associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and other hepatic conditions.
 
The plasma metabolites discovered by researchers may be important to NAFLD, they surmised, and will likely pave the way for additional research and replication in NAFLD patients.
 
Mice Models
 
A third CERP-supported study, published in the journal Molecular Cell, evaluated whether supplementation with NAD+ would improve disruptions in sleep-wake cycles in mice that are associated with aging.
 
NAD+ had effects on some of the stress-response pathways that decline with aging through inhibition of the biological clock repressor PER2.
 
“Following NR supplementation, older mice re-established cellular function reflective of younger mice, and even displayed a ‘physically active period’ that they lost with age,” ChromaDex said.
 
An additional study evaluating the impact of Niagen supplementation on older mice revealed that the ingredient was able to increase NAD+ content in the ovarian cells of mice, which typically decline as they age. Additionally, biomarker analysis provided evidence that supplementation improved the overall mitochondrial energy metabolism within these ovarian cells. Based on these findings, the authors of the study concluded that NR supplementation may hold a therapeutic benefit in treating age-related ovarian infertility.
 
NR was discovered to be an effective NAD+ booster by University of Iowa researcher Dr. Charles Brenner in 2004. ChromaDex, the company for which Brenner is a chief scientific investigator, has since invested over $35 million in investigating, manufacturing, and commercializing NR in the only patented and government safety-reviewed form called Niagen.