NMN increases adipose metabolism gene activity and reduces adipose tissue inflammation and scar formation.

Obesity is a risk factor for many metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is important to actively prevent obesity-related diseases.

The low level of inflammation that leads to metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is a key symptom of obesity. This inflammatory state triggers fibrosis of the adipose tissue, which expands more in size than normal functioning adipose tissue, leading to a lack of oxygen due to insufficient blood flow (hypoxia).

Hypoxia leads to further inflammation and adipose tissue fibrosis, creating a snowball effect where defective adipose tissue perpetuates more damaged and harmful adipose tissue. Finding a way to combat the spread of this adipose tissue damage has become a top priority for researchers seeking to mitigate the obesity epidemic.

New research by Mazloum's research team from Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar found that NMN supplementation enhanced the activity of metabolism-related genes in adipocytes and also reduced the activity of genes for collagen, which causes tissue scarring. Decreased metabolic health of adipocytes is an important cause of disease due to obesity. Therefore, the results of these basic studies demonstrate that NMN supplementation may be able to prevent diseases associated with obesity and metabolic decline. The study was published in Scientific Reports.

I. Fat cells are important for maintaining metabolic health.

Fat is not only an energy storage tissue, but also regulates inflammatory responses and protects organs. In addition, adipose tissue is an important endocrine tissue in the body, responsible for the secretion of adipokines such as adiponectin and leptin, which are closely related to the regulation of energy metabolism. The reduced level of adipocyte metabolism in obese patients is often an important cause of metabolic syndrome.

II. NMN increases preadipocyte NAD+ levels.

Adipocytes are derived from stem cells, which first form "preadipocytes" with the ability to proliferate and differentiate into adipocytes, and eventually become mature adipocytes. Preadipocytes are very closely related to obesity.

The researchers in this study treated preadipocytes (3T3-L1) from mice with NMN and found that cellular NAD+ levels increased by about a quarter after 10 days.

III. NMN increases the activity of genes related to healthy adipocyte metabolism.

To further explore the specific mechanisms by which NMN promotes metabolism, the researchers gave preadipocytes and mature adipocytes a test to measure the effect of NMN supplementation on gene expression in both types of cells.

The data show that NMN supplementation significantly increases the gene expression activity of several substances, especially leptin, SIRT1, PGC-1α and GSTA3, which are all closely related to the regulation of energy metabolism, in both preadipocytes and mature adipocytes.

1. Leptin

Leptin is known as an "appetite suppressant", and plays a physiological role by activating central metabolic regulatory neurons, mainly related to the regulation of energy balance and metabolic homeostasis in the body. Abnormal leptin secretion may lead to metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

2. SIRT1　

SIRT1 is a member of the longevity protein family and is involved in many cellular activities such as gene transcription, energy metabolism and regulation of the cellular aging process. sIRT1 is associated with fat and sugar metabolism, promotes insulin secretion, improves cell survival and promotes DNA repair after damage.

3. PGC-1α　

PGC-1α plays an important role in mitochondrial synthesis, fatty acid oxidation and glucose metabolism, and has become a new target for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes and obesity. In recent years, PGC-1α has also been found to have a role in the treatment of carcinogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases.

4. GSTA3　

GSTA3 is a new member of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione transferase superfamily, with detoxifying enzyme activity and important antioxidant functions.

In addition, NMN significantly reduced the gene activity of Col6A3, a component of collagen in connective tissue that plays a role in adipose tissue scar formation and inflammation, in mature adipocytes.

IV. Regulation of gene expression by NMN holds new hope for future treatment of obesity.

Overall, these findings suggest that NMN supplementation enhances the activity of specific genes related to metabolism in mouse adipocytes, thereby improving metabolic function during adipocyte development and reducing the formation of connective tissue. If these findings can be applied to humans, they will provide new therapeutic ideas for the prevention of obesity-related diseases.

In the future, the details of the pathways involved in the regulation of gene activity by NMN, such as how NMN regulates the gene activity of the "appetite suppressant" leptin, connective tissue and the inflammation-related protein Col6A3, can be further explored, which will help to improve the understanding of the metabolic mechanisms of obesity and better utilize NMN for human health.