What is NAD+ (and is it a peptide)?

A common search is "is NAD+ a peptide?" — and the short answer is no. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a pyridine nucleotide coenzyme, not a chain of amino acids. It is grouped with peptides commercially because researchers in the same fields work with both, but chemically it is a different class of molecule entirely.

Research use only. NAD+ is supplied strictly for in-vitro laboratory research. This page does not describe dosing, administration, or use in humans or animals, and makes no therapeutic claims.

What NAD+ is

NAD+ is an endogenous coenzyme and signalling molecule central to cellular metabolism. In its oxidised form it participates in the electron-transfer reactions that underpin oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis and mitochondrial energy production. It exists in a balance with its reduced form (NADH), and the NAD+/NADH ratio is a key variable in metabolic research.

What researchers study

In biochemical and cellular systems, NAD+ is studied for its role in redox balance and as a substrate for NAD+-dependent enzymes, including:

• Sirtuins — implicated in chromatin regulation
• Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) — implicated in DNA repair
• Cyclic ADP-ribose-generating enzymes — implicated in calcium signalling

Experimental outcomes depend heavily on intracellular NAD+/NADH ratios, compartmentalisation and the metabolic state of the model, so NAD+ is widely used as a reference compound in enzymology and metabolic research.

How it is supplied

The NAD+ Kit is supplied with a Certificate of Analysis for laboratory use. As with all our products it is for in-vitro research only.

Related reading

• New to the topic? Start with what are research peptides?