NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide): A Research Compound Overview

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a dinucleotide: a nicotinamide riboside and an adenosine joined through two phosphate groups. It carries CAS number 53-84-9, the molecular formula C21H27N7O14P2, and a molecular weight of 663.43 g/mol. It is not a peptide, it is a coenzyme, and it has been a standard biochemical reagent for a century.

As a research reference material it is supplied as a lyophilized powder and characterised by HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for identity.

In the laboratory, NAD+ is a required cofactor in dehydrogenase and oxidoreductase enzyme-kinetics assays, and a substrate in sirtuin (SIRT) and PARP enzymology, where its consumption is what the assay measures.

It also serves as the calibration standard in NAD+/NADH ratio quantitation and metabolic-assay work, and as an analytical reference standard. These are in vitro research applications only, and no medical claims are made here.

NAD+ is hygroscopic and light-sensitive, and it hydrolyses in solution. As a lyophilized powder it is stored long-term at -20°C (-4°F), desiccated and protected from light, with original labeling retained so the batch stays traceable.

This overview does not cover preparation or use of any kind. That falls outside laboratory research reference use, and we do not provide that guidance.

NAD+ sits in a family of look-alike molecules, its precursors nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR), and its reduced form NADH. A vial labeled NAD+ that actually contains a cheaper precursor will still look like a clean white powder. Mass spectrometry identity confirmation is what distinguishes a 663 Da dinucleotide from a 334 Da mononucleotide.

This is why a per-batch Certificate of Analysis with both HPLC purity and MS identity, tied to the exact lot you receive, is more useful than a generic brand-level document.

Before relying on any batch, confirm three things: purity (an HPLC percentage), identity (a mass-spectrometry confirmation that it is the dinucleotide, not a precursor), and a traceable lot number with a test date. If the supplier lets you look up that batch’s report, you can match the documentation to the vial in hand.

See our guide on how to read a peptide COA for a field-by-field walkthrough, the same fields apply to non-peptide reagents.

Is NAD+ FDA approved? There is no FDA-approved NAD+ drug product. NAD+ appears in dietary-supplement and compounding-pharmacy contexts, which are regulated differently and are not what is offered here. The material described here is a laboratory reagent-grade reference standard supplied strictly for analytical and in vitro research, and nothing on this site is medical guidance.

Is NAD+ legal in the US? NAD+ is not a scheduled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. It is lawfully supplied as a reference material for laboratory research, and for no other purpose; nothing on this site should be read as a claim otherwise.

NAD+ versus NMN and NR? They are three different molecules. NMN and NR are precursors, smaller molecules a cell can convert to NAD+. Analytically they are trivially distinguishable by mass, which is exactly why identity testing matters on anything sold under the NAD+ name.

Why a lyophilized vial and not a solution? NAD+ is unstable in solution and degrades on storage. Reference material is quantified by mass and stability-characterised in lyophilized form, which is what a per-batch certificate can actually describe.