ChromaDex, a global bioscience company dedicated to healthy ageing, announced promising new findings based on a previously published clinical trial of the company’s proprietary Niagen ingredient (patented nicotinamide riboside [NR]), which was supported by the ChromaDex External Research Program (CERP).
The new study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Aging Cell, was led by Dr Christopher R Martens, Department of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, USA, in collaboration with scientists from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The study investigated whether NR would positively augment nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels and impact markers of neurodegenerative disease and insulin signaling in neuron-derived extracellular vesicles (NEVs) found in blood plasma.
Neuron-derived extracellular vesicles (pictured) are nano-sized particles that are released by neurons in the central nervous system, including the brain, and circulate in blood plasma. They can contain RNA, DNA and/or proteins that provide information relating to the metabolism of their tissue of origin, and serve as signaling molecules between various cells, tissues or organs. Some scientists are investigating extracellular vesicles as biomarkers of disease development and progression. The present study demonstrated that oral supplementation with NR significantly increased NAD+ levels in NEVs and attenuated neurodegenerative biomarkers including Aβ42, a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).