Published in antioxidants, a research team from the State Key Laboratory of East China University of Science and Technology found that NAD+ helps maintain the functional lifespan of stem cells and improves the effectiveness of stem cell therapies.
For thousands of years, humans have been searching for the secret of immortality.
In ancient times, emperors “seek elixir”, “take elixir”, the pursuit of immortality, today there are people who buy ganoderma lucidum, boil ginseng, I hope to prolong life.
We can’t help but ask: Can humans really live forever? If so, how close is immortality to us?
In his book Lifespan, David Sinclair takes a completely new view: Aging is a disease, and it’s a curable disease.
The World Health Organization’s new definition of disease rehabilitation and anti-aging: “The most fundamental way to cure disease and anti-aging is to repair cells, improve cell metabolism, and activate the function of senescent cells.”
Therefore, only healthy cells can always maintain our healthy body state! In 2023, “Cell” released a heavy paper, describing the twelve signs of aging, revealing that the essence of human aging is cellular aging.
At the same time, NAD+ can also promote stem cell migration, reduce stem cell damage, and prevent stem cell aging.
A profile of NAD+
NAD+, also known as coenzyme, full name nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is an important coenzyme in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, promoting the metabolism of sugars, fats and amino acids, participating in the synthesis of energy, and participating in thousands of reactions in each cell.
A large number of experimental data show that NAD+ is widely involved in a variety of basic physiological activities in the organism, thereby interfering with key cellular functions such as energy metabolism, DNA repair, genetic modification, inflammation, biological rhythm and stress resistance.
According to relevant studies, the level of NAD+ in the human body will decline with the increase of age, and the decline of NAD+ level may lead to a variety of functional declines such as neurological decline, vision decline, obesity, and cardiac function decline. Therefore, how to improve the level of NAD+ in the human body has been a hot research in the biomedical field.
The mechanism of action of NAD+
Delay in cellular ageing: Studies show that supplementation with NAD+ significantly improves mitochondrial function in the body and delays the cellular ageing process.
Enhances DNA repair: Studies show that NAD+ activates PARP (polyadenosine diphosphoribose polymerase), which is involved in DNA repair, reducing the effects of UV light and other environmental damage on the skin.
Improved skin barrier function: Multiple experimental data confirm that restoration of NAD+ levels promotes cell proliferation in the basal layer of the skin and accelerates epidermal barrier repair.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells, commonly known as “universal cells”, are a kind of multi-potential cells with self-renewal ability, which can proliferate and differentiate into other types of cells under certain induced conditions.
Because stem cells have the ability to repair and replace damaged cells and promote organ regeneration, they are the origin cells that form tissues and organs in the human body, so they are also known as the “source of life”.
Mechanism of action of stem cells
1. Homing ability
When tissues and organs are damaged and accompanied by inflammation, stem cells will quickly respond to the “call” and accurately arrive at the damaged site through the “homing effect”.
They are like skilled craftsmen, repairing and replacing those damaged cells, so that the tissue structure becomes complete again, the function can be restored, it is a very smart cell, like its own GPS, automatically “navigation” to the body needs to repair.
2. differentiation
Stem cells have a number of differentiation, the reason why they are called “universal cells”, that is, they can differentiate into cells with different functions as needed.
3. Immune regulation
Stem cells are also like intelligent “regulatory masters” that can play a role in immune regulation.
They act like well-trained peacekeeping troops, regulating the balance of the immune system, resisting the invasion of inflammation, and creating a peaceful environment for the body.
4. paracrine
Stem cells are also excellent “metabolic commanders”, by secreting a large number of cytokines, directing the body’s metabolic process, so that the body is full of vitality, as if the machine injected efficient fuel.
Study on combined use of NAD+ and stem cells
1. NAD+ restores stem cell viability
To study the effects of NAD+ on stem cells, the scientists isolated a type of stem cell from the maternal umbilical cord.
Of these, umbilical cord stem cells are the most commonly used for treatment (second only to bone marrow stem cells) because they are easy to obtain and do not cause much of an immune response when injected into the body.
After experiments, the researchers found that the cultured stem cells produced 67 percent more reactive oxygen species, and NAD+ promoted the growth of stem cells.
2. NAD+ enhances stem cell migration
Because stem cells needed to locate the injured tissue site for the treatment to work, the researchers tested the effect of NAD+ on stem cell migration, which increased by three times.
The results show that NAD+ can enhance the homing effect of stem cells for stem cell therapy.
3. NAD+ prolongs stem cell replication life
In addition, after exposing the stem cells to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for two hours, the researchers found that about 86% of the stem cells entered a state of cell damage and senescence, and NAD+ prevented the stem cells from entering a state of senescence.
The findings suggest that NAD+ can extend the replication lifetime of cultured stem cells, increasing the potential for stem cell therapeutic efficacy.
Promoting effect of NAD+ on stem cells
The latest research reveals the synergistic effect of NAD+ in combination with stem cells in anti-aging:
01 Improve treatment effect
NAD+ can not only improve the energy metabolism and self-repair ability of stem cells, but also enhance their immune regulation and differentiation potential.
By increasing the level of NAD+ in MSCs, the immune regulatory function of MSCS can enhanced to optimize the therapeutic effect of a variety of diseases.
02 Accelerated Tissue repair (repair)
Stem cells promote the synthesis and distribution of NAD+ when repairing damaged tissue.
NAD+ supplementation may further promote the proliferation, migration and differentiation of MSCs, and accelerate the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues.
03 Reducing Treatment risk (risk)
Compared with immunosuppressive drugs, MSCs reduce inflammatory damage by targeting immune responses in inflammatory states, and NAD+ supplementation may reduce the risk of adverse reactions during treatment and improve safety
NAD+ combined with stem cells: a new strategy for anti-aging
NAD+ and stem cells have their own unique mechanisms of action in anti-aging, and combining the two may produce a synergistic effect.
On the one hand, NAD+ can improve the energy metabolism level and survival ability of stem cells, and enhance the differentiation potential and paracrine function of stem cells.
On the other hand, stem cells can secrete a variety of cytokines and growth factors, promote the synthesis and utilization of NAD+, and improve the level of NAD+.
The anti-aging therapy of NAD+ combined with stem cells can work in several ways.
It can improve the elasticity and luster of the skin and reduce the production of wrinkles;
Strengthen the body’s immunity, prevent and treat various chronic diseases; Improve the body’s metabolism, promote fat burning, and maintain a healthy weight;
Improve the function of the nervous system, improve memory and cognitive abilities.
