Nicotinamide and NAFLD: Is There Nothing New Under the Sun?

Abstract

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) has a critical role in cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis. Its importance has been established early with the discovery of NAD’s therapeutic role for pellagra. This review addresses some of the recent findings on NAD physiopathology and their effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis, which need to be considered in the search for a better therapeutic approach. Reduced NAD concentrations contribute to the dysmetabolic imbalance and consequently to the pathogenesis of NAFLD. In this perspective, the dietary supplementation or the pharmacological modulation of NAD levels appear to be an attractive strategy. These reviewed studies open the doors to growing interest in NAD metabolism for NAFLD diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Future rigorous clinical studies in humans will be necessary to validate these preliminary but promising results.