Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · Apr 1, 2021
Pre-emptive Short-term Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Treatment in a Mouse Model of Diabetic Nephropathy
By Yasuda I, Hasegawa K, Sakamaki Y et al.
BACKGROUND: The activation of NAD⁺-dependent deacetylase, Sirt1, by the administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) ameliorates various aging-related diseases. METHODS: Diabetic db/db mice were treated with NMN transiently for 2 weeks and observed for effects on diabetic nephropathy (DN). RESULTS: At 14 weeks after the treatment period, NMN attenuated the increases in urinary albumin excretion in db/db mice without ameliorating hemoglobin A1c levels. Short-term NMN treatment mitigated mesangium expansion and foot process effacement, while ameliorating decreased Sirt1 expression and increased claudin-1 expression in the kidneys of db/db mice. This treatment also improved the decrease in the expression of H3K9me2 and DNMT1. Short-term NMN treatment also increased kidney concentrations of NAD⁺ and the expression of Sirt1 and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt), and it maintained nicotinamide mononucleotide adenyltransferase1 (Nmnat1) expression in the kidneys. In addition, survival rates improved after NMN treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term NMN treatment in early-stage DN has remote renal protective effects through the upregulation of Sirt1 and activation of the NAD⁺ salvage pathway, both of which indicate NMN legacy effects on DN.