Thus, there is a critical need for more effective pharmacological interventions that improve long-term management of obesity and its comorbidities.[11] Recently, nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase (NNMT) has emerged as a novel mechanism-of-action target in the adipose tissue to treat obesity and associated T2D.[1215] NNMT is a cytosolic enzyme with a newly identified role in modulating cellular energy homeostasis by jointly regulating nicotinamide (NA) and S-(5-adenosyl)-L-methionine (SAM) flux within the critical intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) salvage pathway and methionine cycle, respectively.[15] NNMT expression is upregulated in the white adipose tissue (WAT) of obese and diabetic mice[12] and has significantly higher activity in the WAT compared to its activity in the brown adipose tissue, liver, and lungs of diet-induced obese mice.[16] Furthermore, plasma levels of the NNMT reaction product 1-methylnicotinamide (1-MNA) correlate with adipose NNMT expression, individuals body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference, suggesting the target to be clinically relevant.[13, 14] Importantly, mice fed a high-fat diet and treated with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that reduced adipose NNMT expression were protected from diet-induced obesity (DIO) and showed reduced adiposity compared to control animals.[12] Using structure-guided design and binding calculations, we recently generated potent small molecule NNMT inhibitors around a methylquinolinium (MQ)-scaffold.[17] In the present study, we extend these findings to show that the small molecule NNMT inhibitors are highly membrane-permeable, selective inhibitors, which reduce intracellular 1-MNA levels and prevent lipogenesis in vitro
They mimic a hormone that the body is supposed to produce naturally, which increases the amount of insulin released by the pancreas in order to control blood sugar
This is why NAD+ has become one of the most-studied molecules in aging science, and why a compound that helps preserve it draws interest well beyond weight loss
A balanced diet with animal products can prevent B12 deficiency, notes a top nutrition expert
