Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • In Your Element
  • Published:

Niacin in your bread, NAD in your lab

Nature Chemistry volume 18, page 428 (2026)Cite this article

Subjects

Wylan Wong and Craig P. Johnston explore the enduring legacy of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and its analogues, from their early biochemical discovery to their resurgence in anti-ageing research and synthetic chemistry.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. JAMA 118, 823 (1942).

  2. Imai, S.-i. npj Aging 11, 4 (2025).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Song, Q. et al. Adv. Nutr. 14, 1416–1435 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Harden, A. & Young, W. J. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B: Biol. Sci. 78, 369–375 (1906).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Heckmann, C. M. & Paradisi, F. ChemCatChem 12, 6082–6102 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Burgess, V. A., Davies, S. G. & Skerlj, R. T. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2, 299–328 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Yang, J. W., Hechavarria Fonseca, M. T., Vignola, N. & List, B. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 44, 108–110 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Falcone, N., She, Z., Syed, J., Lough, A. & Kraatz, H. B. ChemBioChem 20, 838–845 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Mayer, R. J. & Moran, J. M. Chem 10, 2564–2576 (2024).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Emmanuel, M. A., Greenberg, N. R., Oblinsky, D. G. & Hyster, T. K. Nature 540, 414–417 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. X: @ChaoticMetazoan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. EaStCHEM, School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, UK

    W. Y. Wylan Wong  (王宏睿) & Craig P. Johnston

Authors
  1. W. Y. Wylan Wong  (王宏睿)
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Craig P. Johnston
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Craig P. Johnston.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wong, W.Y.W., Johnston, C.P. Niacin in your bread, NAD in your lab. Nat. Chem. 18, 428 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-02056-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-02056-8

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing