Restoring energy metabolism by NAD supplement prevents alcohol-induced liver injury and boosts liver regeneration.

Our previous clinical metabolomics study illustrated that energy metabolism disorder is an underlying pathogenesis mechanism for the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Supplementation of nicotinamide (NAM), the precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), may restore the energy metabolism homeostasis of ALD and thus serves as potential therapeutics to treat ALD. In this bedside-to-bench study, the protective effect of NAM against ALD was investigated by using the NIAAA mice model (chronic-plus-binge ethanol), and the liver regeneration boosting capability of NAM was evaluated by the partial hepatectomy mice model. Our results showed that NAM supplements not only protected the liver from alcohol-induced injury and improved alcohol-induced mitochondrial structure and function change, but also boosted liver regeneration in postpartial hepatectomy mice by increasing liver NAD content. These findings suggested that NAM, a water-soluble form of vitamin B3, can promote liver regeneration and improves liver function by alleviating alcohol-induced energy metabolism disorder.