NAD+ Treatment Induces Delayed Autophagy in Neuro2a Cells Partially by Increasing Oxidative Stress

NAD⁺ plays important roles in various biological processes. In this study, we reported that treatment of NAD⁺ induces delayed autophagy in Neuro2a cells. Moreover, the effects of NAD⁺ on the autophagy in the cells appear to be, at least partially, mediated by oxidative stress. However, nicotinamide, a degradation product of NAD⁺, does not affect the autophagy. Our experiments have further indicated that the NAD⁺-induced autophagy contributes to the NAD⁺-induced decrease in the survival of these cells. In summary, our study has provided the first evidence that NAD⁺ treatment induces autophagy in cancer cells such as Neuro2a cells, which contributes to the NAD⁺-induced decrease in cancer cell survival.