Overview
In plain English
NAD+ is not a peptide. It is a molecule every cell in your body uses to turn food into usable energy, and to run its DNA repair and maintenance machinery.
Levels fall with age. People use injectable NAD+ for energy, mental clarity, recovery and general longevity protocols. It is taken each morning, five days on and two days off — not in the evening, because it can interfere with sleep.
- What it isA coenzyme central to energy production and DNA repair
- Mainly used forEnergy, mental clarity, recovery, longevity protocols
- Typical protocol100mg daily, 5 days on / 2 off, for 8–16 weeks
How it works
What it actually does
NAD+ has two jobs, and mixing them up is the most common mistake made about it.
The first is energy. It shuttles electrons through the reactions that convert food into ATP, and it is recycled each time rather than used up.
The second is maintenance. A group of repair and signalling enzymes — including the sirtuins and the DNA-damage repair enzymes — physically consume NAD+ every time they act. That is where supply becomes the limit, and why levels falling with age matters.
The science in detail
NAD+ occupies two distinct roles in cell biology, and conflating them is the commonest error in describing it.
The first is catalytic. As the NAD+/NADH couple it is the principal hydride acceptor of intermediary metabolism, cycling through several hundred dehydrogenase reactions: GAPDH in glycolysis, the isocitrate, α-ketoglutarate and malate dehydrogenases of the TCA cycle, and the dehydrogenase steps of β-oxidation. NADH then delivers electrons to complex I. In this role NAD+ is regenerated, not consumed, and the ratio of oxidised to reduced forms — rather than absolute quantity — sets the direction of flux. Phosphorylation by NAD kinase yields NADP+, whose reduced form NADPH drives reductive biosynthesis and regenerates glutathione and thioredoxin.
The second role is as a consumed substrate. Sirtuins (SIRT1–7) are NAD+-dependent deacylases: each turnover cleaves NAD+, releasing nicotinamide and 2'-O-acyl-ADP-ribose. PARP1 and PARP2 consume it heavily during poly-ADP-ribosylation in the DNA damage response. The ecto-enzymes CD38 and CD157 hydrolyse it to cyclic ADP-ribose, and SARM1 consumes it during axonal degeneration. Because these enzymes destroy the molecule, their activity is constrained by NAD+ availability — the basis for research linking NAD+ concentration to sirtuin signalling.
Supply comes mainly from the salvage pathway, where NAMPT converts nicotinamide to NMN and the compartment-specific NMNAT isoforms adenylylate it to NAD+ in nucleus, cytosol and mitochondria. De novo synthesis from tryptophan via the kynurenine pathway and the Preiss-Handler route from nicotinic acid contribute less. Tissue NAD+ declines with age, with increased CD38 expression among the implicated mechanisms (Camacho-Pereira et al., Cell Metabolism, 2016).
What distinguishes NAD+ from its precursors is transport. It is a large, doubly charged dinucleotide with poor membrane permeability, and extracellular NAD+ is substantially degraded by CD38 and CD73 to NMN and NR before uptake. Whether raising intracellular NAD+ is better served by the dinucleotide itself or by precursors remains an open question in the literature (Rajman, Chwalek and Sinclair, Cell Metabolism, 2018).
Evidence
What the research shows
Two roles: fuel and maintenance
It is recycled endlessly in energy production, but permanently consumed by repair and signalling enzymes.
Repair enzymes eat it
Sirtuins and DNA-repair enzymes destroy NAD+ each time they work, so their activity is limited by how much is available.
Tissue levels decline with age
Published work links the decline partly to an enzyme that becomes more active as we get older.
Injection bypasses a real problem
NAD+ crosses cell membranes poorly and is broken down before it gets in, which is why route of delivery matters.
Mixing & dosage
How to mix and dose it
These are the mixing and dosage instructions supplied by Purist Peptides and the manufacturer for this product.
A 3ml vial of bacteriostatic water is included free with every peptide vial you order, so you have what you need to mix this on arrival.
NAD+ 1000mg
Step 1 — mix your vial
- Draw up 2ml of bacteriostatic water into a syringe
- Wipe the rubber top of your vial with an alcohol swab and let it dry
- Insert the needle then slowly and carefully push the water down the inside wall of the vial — do not inject water straight onto the peptide powder
- Gently roll the vial between your palms until the powder dissolves completely
- Do not shake
- Allow to settle in the fridge for 5–10 minutes. The liquid should look clear
Step 2 — draw & inject your dose
Use a 1ml insulin syringe to draw and inject your dose. A 1ml syringe = 100 units.
With 2ml of water added, each 0.1ml (10 units) you draw = 50mg of NAD+.
| Stage | Dose | On the syringe |
|---|---|---|
| Starting | 50mg daily | 10 units |
| Standard | 100mg daily | 20 units |
Vial duration at standard dose: approx 10 days
When to inject: Morning only. Do not inject in the evening — NAD+ activates sirtuin pathways that can interfere with sleep. 5 days on, 2 days off.
Cycle length: 8 to 16 weeks.
How to inject
- Wipe your injection site with an alcohol swab and let it dry
- Pinch a small fold of skin on your abdomen
- Insert the needle at a 45-degree angle into the pinched skin
- Slowly push the plunger down until empty
- Pull the needle out and apply gentle pressure with the swab
- Dispose of the needle safely in a sharps container — never recap or reuse
Storage
Keep refrigerated at 2 to 6 degrees Celsius at all times after mixing. Do not freeze. Protect from light and label the vial with the date you reconstituted it. Discard any solution that is hazy, discoloured or contains particles.
For informational purposes only. This is not medical advice. Speak to a qualified healthcare professional before starting any compound.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is NAD+ a peptide?
No. It is a dinucleotide — nicotinamide mononucleotide joined to adenosine monophosphate through a pyrophosphate bridge. It is stocked alongside research peptides because it is handled and reconstituted in the same way, not because it belongs to the same chemical class.
How does NAD+ differ from NMN and NR?
NMN and NR are biosynthetic precursors that enter the salvage pathway upstream of NAD+. Both are smaller and more readily transported. NAD+ itself is doubly charged and poorly membrane-permeant, and extracellular NAD+ is largely degraded to NMN and NR by CD38 and CD73 before it reaches the cell interior.
What is it studied for?
Research contexts include mitochondrial function, sirtuin-dependent signalling, DNA repair capacity via PARP activity, and age-associated decline in tissue NAD+ concentration. Rajman, Chwalek and Sinclair (Cell Metabolism, 2018) review the in vivo evidence for NAD-boosting strategies.
Why is it less stable than the peptides you supply?
The nicotinamide-ribose glycosidic bond hydrolyses under alkaline conditions and degrades with heat and light. Lyophilised NAD+ is also strongly hygroscopic. Both properties argue for preparing solutions close to the point of use and keeping the dry powder sealed and desiccated.
How is purity verified?
Every batch is assayed by Bioindustrial Services in Boksburg, an independent biotechnology laboratory, using HPLC. We do not self-certify. The signed certificate of analysis for each batch — lab number, method and assayed result — is published on our quality standards page.
How long does delivery take?
Orders are dispatched from within South Africa with tracking. Timelines by region and courier are set out on our delivery process page.
Can I return an order?
Because these are laboratory compounds, returns are not accepted once an order has shipped. If your parcel arrives damaged, contact us within 48 hours with photographs of the packaging and product and we will arrange a replacement. The full terms are set out in our refund policy.
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