NAD+ Pen
Oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme rather than a peptide, in bacteriostatic water, 300 mg per 3 mL cartridge. Filled from an NAD+ lot tested in the manufacturer’s own laboratory.
| Compound | NAD+ β-Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, oxidized (free acid); coenzyme, not a peptide |
|---|---|
| CAS number | 53-84-9 |
| Molecular formula | C21H27N7O14P2 |
| Theoretical mass | 663.4 Da |
| Sequence / structure | Dinucleotide: adenosine 5′-monophosphate joined through a pyrophosphate bridge to nicotinamide 5′-mononucleotide; oxidized form. |
| Contents | NAD+: 1500 mg per 3 mL pen; 300 mg per 3 mL pen (50% w/v) |
| Form | Sterile aqueous solution in bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol), supplied in a 3 mL glass cartridge inside a preloaded autoinjector pen fitted with a needle |
| Storage, sealed | Store at 2–8 °C in the original carton, protected from light |
| Format | Solution in a 3 mL pre-filled pen |
Sizes and lots
- 300 mg · 1 pen — $58.99
- 300 mg · Kit of 10 — $524.42
- 1,500 mg · 1 pen — $148.99
- 1,500 mg · Kit of 10 — $1324.52
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, oxidized) is a coenzyme, not a peptide; it is the dinucleotide that cells use to shuttle electrons and that sirtuins and PARPs break down as they work. This listing is the lower-strength NAD+ pen, a 3 mL cartridge of NAD+ in bacteriostatic water at 100 mg/mL, or 300 mg per pen, supplied ready-made. Research on NAD+ spans its separate pools inside the cell, its links to mitochondrial function, and the precursors studied to raise it.
What is in the pen
Each pen carries one 3 mL glass cartridge of sterile NAD+ solution. The NAD+ is the oxidized free acid, CAS 53-84-9, theoretical mass 663.4 Da, the same compound sold as powder in the vials. It is dissolved at 100 mg/mL, so a full cartridge holds 300 mg, which is about 0.45 mmol, or close to 151 mM. The solvent is bacteriostatic water containing 0.9% benzyl alcohol. According to the safety data sheet, benzyl alcohol is harmful if swallowed or inhaled, irritates the eyes and can cause allergic skin reactions, while NAD+ is not classified.
Refrigerate the pen at 2 to 8 °C in its original carton and away from light, keep it capped when not in use, and never freeze it. A solution that has frozen or turned cloudy or discoloured should be thrown away.
Pen or vial
SCALE Performance sells NAD+ in five listings: the NAD+ 1000 mg vial and a 500 mg vial of dry powder, this pen, a stronger pen and a nasal spray. The vials keep the compound dry and frozen until the day it is dissolved, and the concentration is whatever the volume of diluent makes it. The pens give up that choice for a solution made in advance at a stated strength. At 100 mg/mL this pen is the more dilute of the two, a fifth of the strength of the NAD+ 500 mg/mL pen. The general case for each format is laid out in peptide pen vs vial.
What the research covers
NAD+ is not spread evenly through a cell. Cambronne and Kraus reviewed evidence in 2020 that steady-state NAD+ levels are compartmentalised within mammalian cells, and that cells regulate signalling by controlling how much NAD+ is made in each subcellular location1. On that view, a single NAD+ figure for a whole cell or tissue averages over pools that may be regulated separately1. Cantó, Menzies and Auwerx framed NAD+ metabolism as a balancing act between mitochondria and the nucleus, and described a cofactor that can rewire metabolism, activate sirtuins and maintain mitochondrial fitness through mechanisms that include the mitochondrial unfolded protein response2.
Much of the work on raising NAD+ in living systems has used precursors rather than the coenzyme itself3. Yoshino, Baur and Imai reviewed nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR) in 2018, reported that supplementing them had improved age-associated conditions in preclinical models, and noted that the fate of each depends on how a tissue expresses NAD+ biosynthetic enzymes, nucleotidases and presumed transporters3. They described the translation of those results to people as the next thing to test, not something already shown3.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is in the pen?
A 3 mL glass cartridge of oxidized NAD+ free acid dissolved at 100 mg/mL, 300 mg in total, in bacteriostatic water preserved with 0.9% benzyl alcohol. The pen arrives filled, so there is no powder to weigh or dissolve.
How does this pen compare with the 500 mg/mL pen?
Same compound and same solvent, different strength. This pen is at 100 mg/mL, 300 mg per cartridge; the stronger pen is at 500 mg/mL, 1,500 mg per cartridge. A study that needs the lower concentration can start from this one.
How should the pen be stored?
Cold and dark: 2 to 8 °C in the original carton, capped when not in use. Freezing is not allowed, and a pen whose solution has frozen, clouded or changed colour should be discarded, as the safety data sheet states.
References
- Cambronne XA, Kraus WL. Location, Location, Location: Compartmentalization of NAD(+) Synthesis and Functions in Mammalian Cells. Trends Biochem Sci. 2020;45(10):858-873. DOI · PubMed
- Cantó C, Menzies KJ, Auwerx J. NAD(+) Metabolism and the Control of Energy Homeostasis: A Balancing Act between Mitochondria and the Nucleus. Cell Metab. 2015;22(1):31-53. DOI · PubMed
- Yoshino J, Baur JA, Imai SI. NAD(+) Intermediates: The Biology and Therapeutic Potential of NMN and NR. Cell Metab. 2018;27(3):513-528. DOI · PubMed
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. Products have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.