Scalable syntheses of traceable ribosylated NAD+ precursors.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NAD+, is an essential cofactor and substrate for many cellular enzymes. Its sustained intracellular levels have been linked to improved physiological end points in a range of metabolic diseases. Biosynthetic precursors to NAD+ include nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, the ribosylated parents and the phosphorylated form of the ribosylated parents. By combining solvent-assisted mechanochemistry and sealed reaction conditions, access to the ribosylated NAD+ precursors and to the isotopologues of NAD+ precursors was achieved in high yields and levels of purity. The latter is critical as it offers means to better trace biosynthetic pathways to NAD+, investigate the multifaceted roles of the intracellular NAD+ pools, and better exploit NAD+ biology.