Oxidative imbalance is a prominent feature in Alzheimer\'s disease and ageing.

Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can result in disordered cellular metabolism due to lipid peroxdation, protein-cross linking, DNA damage and the depletion of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)).

NAD(+) is a ubiquitous pyridine nucleotide that plays an essential role in important biological reactions., from ATP production and secondary messenger signaling, to transcriptional regulation and DNA repair. Chronic oxidative stress may be associated with NAD(+) depletion and a subsequent decrease in metabolic regulation and cell viability.

Hence, therapies targeted toward maintaining intracellular NAD(+) pools may prove efficacious in the protection of age-dependent cellular damage, in general, and neurodegeneration in chronic central nervous system inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer\'s disease, in particular.

About the Authors

Braidy N, Guillemin G, Grant R. (2008) Promotion of cellular NAD(+) anabolism: therapeutic potential for oxidative stress in ageing and Alzheimer's disease. Neurotox Res. 2008 May-Jun;13(3-4):173-84. University of New South Wales, Faculty of Medicine, Sydney, Australia.