MitoiX›Mechanism
Mechanism

NAD⁺ metabolism

Reference definition for a mitochondrial-biology node.

Cofactor / signalling pathway

Definition

Category: Cofactor / signalling pathway

Also known as: NAD+, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

NAD+ is a central redox cofactor for OXPHOS and the substrate for sirtuins and PARPs. Tissue NAD+ tends to fall with age, which is the rationale for the precursors nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). The downstream sirtuin/mTOR signalling biology overlaps the mtorix cluster and is cross-referenced there rather than duplicated here.

Key points

  • NR and NMN are NAD+ precursors: human RCTs show they raise NAD+ (a biomarker), with mixed downstream functional effects.
  • The NAD+/sirtuin longevity narrative is shared with mtorix.com — see mtorix for the sirtuin/mTOR pharmacology; mitoix keeps the mitochondrial-cofactor view.
  • Raising a NAD+ biomarker is not the same as a demonstrated human healthy-aging outcome.

Related interventions

Sourcing

Standard NAD+ metabolism reviews (Verdin; Rajman et al.). NAD+/sirtuin pharmacology cross-referenced to mtorix.com.

Reference synthesis (tier 4); verification: review_level_2026-07-12.