Influence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide on the production of interleukin-6 by peripheral human blood leukocytes

Objective: Recently, therapy with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) revealed positive effects on neurodegenerative disorders associated with inflammation of the CNS, such as Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease. Pathophysiologically, focal CNS inflammation seems to be accompanied by an unbalanced cytokine production, pointing to an involvement of the immune system. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate whether NADH could influence cytokine release of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) with special reference to interleukin-6 (IL-6). Methods: PBLs from 18 healthy donors were incubated in vitro with different concentrations of NADH to generate dose-response curves. As a control, mitogen-treated cells and unstimulated cells were included. Results: In PBLs from the 18 healthy donors, NADH significantly stimulated the dose-dependent release of IL-6, ranging from 6.25 to 400 mug/ ml, compared to medium-treated cells (p < 0.001). An amount of 1,000 pg/ml IL-6 was induced by NADH concentrations ranging from 3.1 to >25 mug/ml. Conclusions: It is concluded that NADH possesses cytokine-modulating effects on peripheral blood cells. The biological relevance of these data is discussed in the context of the recent use of NADH for the treatment of several neurodegenerative disorders. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.