To investigate the role of NMN in blood vessel formation, a joint study was conducted by Harvard University, Princeton University and Swiss research institutions.
The decline of blood vessel function, especially the deterioration of blood vessels that flow through the body, is closely related to the aging process.
Research process and discovery
1. Subjects and groups
The researchers selected elderly mice as study subjects and set up control and experimental groups.
2. Experimental method
Experiments were carried out on elderly mice to observe the number of capillaries in their leg muscles and their ability to form new blood vessels.
The angiogenesis process was simulated using excised sections of the aorta to further verify the effect of NMN on angiogenesis.
3. Experimental result
The study found that older mice had significantly fewer capillaries in their leg muscles than younger mice, as well as a reduced ability to form new blood vessels.
Blood vessel formation is impaired by aging. These images depict blood vessels (white) emanating from the aortic ring.
These maps showed that vasogenesis (spore area) was reduced by a factor of 2 in the mice compared to the young adults.
In the experimental group, when NMN was added to aorta sections of elderly mice, the formation of new blood vessels was restored.
Action mechanism
1. Endothelial cell function
Angiogenesis is accomplished by endothelial cell proliferation and migration.
However, with age, senescent endothelial cells become less able to proliferate, resulting in the formation of new blood vessels being inhibited.
2. Energy metabolism problem
Endothelial cells support their normal function by converting glucose into ATP.
But aging endothelial cells have problems with energy metabolism, resulting in insufficient ATP production.
3. The role of NMN
As a precursor to NAD+, an important coenzyme, NMN is able to restore energy metabolism in senescent endothelial cells.
Specifically, NMN can increase the level of ATP in endothelial cells and enhance the cell’s ability to proliferate, thus promoting the formation of new blood vessels.
NMN restored blood vessel formation.
These images depict blood vessels (white) emanating from the aortic ring.
These graphs show that angiogenesis (beansprout regions) increased blood vessel formation (spore regions) in the NMN-treated aorta (2mm NMN, green) compared to the untreated aorta (CTRL, RED).
Other health benefits of NMN
In addition to enhancing blood vessel formation, NMN has been found to have other health benefits such as:
1. Prevention of cerebral infarction
NMN can enhance the relaxation of vascular endothelial cells and promote blood circulation, so as to effectively prevent cerebral infarction.
2. Repair nerve damage
By activating the NAD+ defense system, NMN can protect cerebral nerves and promote nerve regeneration of blood vessels, and has a good repair effect on cerebral hemorrhage and nerve injury caused by cerebral hemorrhage transformation.
3. Prevent arteriosclerosis
NMN can reverse levels of a type of MIRNA in blood vessels, epigenetic rejuvenation and resistance to atherosclerosis.
References:
Kiesworo, K., Agius, T., Macarthur, M. R., Lambelet, M., Lyon, A., Zhang, J., Turiel, G., Fan, Z., d’Almeida, S., Uygun, K., Yeh, H., Déglise, S., de Bock, K., Mitchell, S. J., Ocampo, A., Allagnat, F., & Longchamp, A. (2024). Nicotinamide mononucleotide restores impaired metabolism, endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis in old sedentary male mice. iScience, 28(1), 111656.
