Impact of Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) on Kidney Function in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with cardiac surgery is the most important complication in adult patients undergoing open heart surgery and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. In patients in intensive care units, it is the second most common type of AKI after AKI secondary to sepsis. There is currently no specific treatment for AKI. Supportive measures include renal support therapy for patients with severe AKI, and mortality in this subgroup of patients exceeds 50%. Increasing NAD+ with niacinamide has been shown to prevent various etiologies of experimental AKI in mice, and an early pilot study has shown both increased NAD levels following administration of nicotinamide riboside with pterostilbene NPRT and the safety of niacinamide in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.