Science of NAD
How are your NAD levels today?
The innate immune system relies on NAD to fight infection, including viral infection, so it is no surprise that some viruses, including COVID, dramatically depress NAD levels when they strike, and that sustaining NAD levels can support the immune system's ability to fight back.
ARTICLE: HOW NAD replenishment can help your immune response
And here are the studies:
Sep 2, 2023
Immunity - Viral Infection - COVID
Nitric Oxide
NAD(+)-boosting compounds enhance nitric oxide production and prevent oxidative stress in endothelial cells exposed to plasma from patients with COVID-19
Freeberg, Kaitlin A.
SUMMARY
NAD + precursors prevent COVID-19 plasma-induced endothelial cell dysfunction and hold promise as therapies for COVID-19-related vascular dysfunction...Co-incubation with NR abolished COVID-19-induced reductions in NO production and oxidative stress (both p > 0.05 vs. control). Co-treatment with NMN produced similar results. Our findings suggest the circulating milieu of patients with COVID-19 promotes endothelial cell dysfunction, characterized by lower NO bioavailability, greater ROS bioactivity, and NAD(+) depletion. Supplementation with NAD(+) precursors may exert a protective effect against COVID-19-evoked endothelial cell dysfunction and oxidative stress.
Oct 22, 2022
Viral Infection - COVID
Nature Metabolism
Innate metabolic responses against viral infections
Palmer, Clovis S.
SUMMARY
Metabolic disorders may increase the vulnerability of individuals to SARS-CoV-2 and worsen disease prognosis...Low levels of circulating NAD+ are reported in severe COVID-19...Coronavirus infection can deplete cellular NAD+ levels, and boosting NAD+ with NAD precursors has been shown to enhance the antiviral activities of PARP isozymes...NAD+ is also essential for critical host antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. Thus, therapeutic reinforcement of the NAD+ system has been proposed as a potential prophylaxis approach against viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 infection...Ultimately, the outcome of this ‘tug-of-war’ [between the virus and the immune system both drawing down NAD] is likely to be influenced by the nutritional status of the host....
Apr 13, 2022
Viral Infection ⎼ COVID
International Journal of Molecular Science
COVID-19: Are We Facing Secondary Pellagra Which Cannot Simply Be Cured by Vitamin B3?
Kujundzik, Renata
SUMMARY
...Many extra-pulmonary symptoms of COVID-19 strikingly resemble those of pellagra, vitamin B3 deficiency (e.g., diarrhea, dermatitis, oral cavity and tongue manifestations, loss of smell and taste, mental confusion). In most developed countries, pellagra is successfully eradicated by vitamin B3 fortification programs. Thus, conceivably, it has not been suspected as a cause of COVID-19 symptoms. Here, the deregulation of the NAD+ metabolism in response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection is reviewed, with special emphasis on the differences in the NAD+ biosynthetic pathway’s efficiency in conditions predisposing for the development of serious COVID-19... The robustness of the host’s NAD+ salvage pathway, prior to the SARS-CoV-2 infection, is an important determinant of COVID-19 severity and persistence of certain symptoms upon resolution of infection.
Feb 11, 2022
Viral Infection ⎼ COVID
Trends in Immunology
NAD+ in COVID-19 and viral infections
Zheng, Minyan
SUMMARY
NAD+, as an emerging regulator of immune responses during viral infections, may be a promising therapeutic target for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this Opinion, we suggest that interventions that boost NAD+ levels might promote antiviral defense and suppress uncontrolled inflammation. We discuss the association between low NAD+ concentrations and risk factors for poor COVID-19 outcomes, including aging and common comorbidities. Mechanistically, we outline how viral infections can further deplete NAD+ and its roles in antiviral defense and inflammation. We also describe how coronaviruses can subvert NAD+-mediated actions via genes that remove NAD+ modifications and activate the NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Finally, we explore ongoing approaches to boost NAD+ concentrations in the clinic to putatively increase antiviral responses while curtailing hyperinflammation.
Jan 5, 2022
Viral Infection - COVID
Journal of Molecular Structure
Molecular docking and dynamics studies of Nicotinamide Riboside as a potential multi-target nutraceutical against SARS-CoV-2 entry, replication, and transcription: A new insight
Esam, Zohreh
SUMMARY
...Nicotinamide riboside (NR), which is a naturally occurring analogue of Niacin (vitamin B3), is expected to have therapeutic effects on COVID-19 due to its super close structural similarity to the proven RdRp inhibitors...In the current study, the resulted scores from molecular docking and dynamics simulations as the primary determinative factor as well as the observed reliable binding modes have demonstrated that Nicotinamide Riboside and its active metabolite NMN can target human ACE2 and IMPDH, along with the viral Spro, Mpro, PLpro, and on top of all, RdRp as a potential competitive inhibitor.
Jan 3, 2022
Viral Infection⎼ COVID
Nature Metabolism
Viral infection as an NAD+ battlefield
Brenner, Charles
Sep 30, 2021
Viral Infection ⎼ COVID
Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences
Potential role of nicotinamide analogues against SARS-COV-2 target proteins
Arora, Mandeep Kumar
SUMMARY
COVID-19 is caused by ‘severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2′ (SARS-CoV-2)...The present study screens nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) as potential inhibitors of this present generation coronavirus infection using an in-silico approach...We expect a possible therapeutic efficacy of NR in the treatment of COVID-19.
Sep 8, 2021
Viral Infection ⎼ COVID
Advanced Science
Combined Metabolic Activators Accelerates Recovery in Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 (Phase 3 study)
Altay, Ozlem
SUMMARY
...Placebo-controlled, open-label phase 2 study and double-blinded phase 3 clinical trials are conducted to investigate the time of symptom-free recovery from COVID-19 on ambulatory patients using a cocktail that included nicotinamide riboside as an NAD precursor. The results of both studies show that the time to complete recovery is significantly shorter in the CMA group (6.6 vs 9.3 d) in phase 2 and (5.7 vs 9.2 d) in phase 3 trials compared to placebo group...The results show that treating patients infected with COVID-19 with CMAs lead to a more rapid symptom-free recovery, suggesting a role for such a therapeutic regime in the treatment of infections leading to respiratory problems.
Jan 13, 2021
Viral Infection ⎼ COVID
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Coronavirus infection and PARP expression dysregulate the NAD metabolome: An actionable component of innate immunity
Heer, Colin
SUMMARY
...Here we show that SARS-CoV-2 infection strikingly up-regulates MARylating PARPs and induces the expression of genes encoding enzymes for salvage NAD synthesis from nicotinamide (NAM) and nicotinamide riboside (NR), while down-regulating other NAD biosynthetic pathways. We show that overexpression of PARP10 is sufficient to depress cellular NAD and that the activities of the transcriptionally induced enzymes PARP7, PARP10, PARP12 and PARP14 are limited by cellular NAD and can be enhanced by pharmacological activation of NAD synthesis. We further demonstrate that infection with [coronavirus model] induces a severe attack on host cell NAD+ and NADP+. Finally, we show that NAMPT activation, NAM, and NR dramatically decrease the replication of a [coronavirus model] that is sensitive to PARP activity. These data suggest that the antiviral activities of noncanonical PARP isozyme activities are limited by the availability of NAD and that nutritional and pharmacological interventions to enhance NAD levels may boost innate immunity to coronaviruses.