NAD+ gets grouped with peptides in most UK research catalogues, including ours, but it is not one – it is a dinucleotide coenzyme, and that difference matters for how it should be stored and handled. Searches for NAD+ have grown sharply this year, and a lot of what is written about it online skips the chemistry. This guide covers the molecule, its stability problems, and what the published research on NAD+ metabolism actually covers.
The molecule
| Name | Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidised form) |
| Molecular formula | C21H27N7O14P2 |
| Molecular weight | 663.4 g/mol |
| CAS number | 53-84-9 |
| Class | Coenzyme / redox cofactor |
| Supplied as | Lyophilised powder, 500mg or 1000mg vial |
NAD+ is built from two nucleotides joined through their phosphate groups: one carrying adenine, the other nicotinamide. The nicotinamide ring is the business end – it accepts and donates a hydride ion, cycling between NAD+ and NADH.
What it does in a cell
NAD+ sits at the centre of cellular energy metabolism. It is the electron carrier for glycolysis, the citric-acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, and it is also consumed as a substrate by three enzyme families that have driven most of the recent research interest:
- Sirtuins (SIRT1–7) – NAD+-dependent deacetylases linked to metabolic regulation and DNA repair in animal models
- PARPs – poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases involved in DNA damage response, which consume large amounts of NAD+ under genotoxic stress
- CD38 – an NADase whose activity rises with age in mouse tissue and is a major driver of NAD+ decline
Tissue NAD+ levels fall with age across the animal models studied, which is why the compound and its precursors (NMN, NR) have become a major research area in ageing biology.
Stability: the part most listings ignore
NAD+ is hygroscopic and unstable in aqueous solution, particularly at neutral or alkaline pH and at room temperature. Degradation produces nicotinamide and ADP-ribose, which will show up on HPLC as the parent peak shrinks. Practically:
- Keep the lyophilised powder cold (2–8°C short-term; -20°C for longer storage), sealed and dry.
- Reconstitute only what a protocol needs, immediately before use. Solutions do not keep the way peptide solutions do.
- Slightly acidic buffers are more stable than neutral ones.
- If a solution has been sitting for days, assume it has partially degraded.
What the published research covers
- Age-related NAD+ decline in mouse and rat tissue, and its reversal with precursors
- Sirtuin activation and mitochondrial function in rodent models
- DNA repair and PARP activity under oxidative stress in cell culture
- NAD+ metabolism in neurodegeneration models
- Comparative pharmacokinetics of NAD+, NMN and NR in animals
Human trials exist for the precursors NMN and NR; NAD+ itself is not an approved medicine, and the direct-administration literature is largely preclinical.
Handling summary
- Supplied lyophilised, 500mg or 1000mg vials, shipped tracked from the UK.
- Batch-specific HPLC certificates available on request.
- Not for human or veterinary use.
View NAD+ 500mg / 1000mg or see the related antioxidant glutathione.
All products referenced are supplied for in vitro and laboratory research only and are not for human or veterinary use. Peptide Stock is operated by UK Research Group Ltd.
