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Study summary · NAD⁺, sirtuins & cellular energy

Does CD38 directly affect neuroinflammation by regulating brain NAD levels?

In one paragraph

Apigenin Capsules, a laboratory study (J Neurochem 2021, PMID 33871064) — pre-administration of apigenin or NR increased NAD levels and suppressed cytokine/chemokine induction, glial activation, and neurodegeneration after LPS. No numeric effect size is reported for Apigenin Capsules in the source abstract.

Source: J Neurochem 2021, PMID 33871064 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: low

J Neurochem · 2021 · PMID 33871064 · DOI 10.1111/jnc.15367

Plain-English summary written and published by Magellan Longevity · medical review by Gabriel Radu, DO (physiatrist, NPI 1376861765). We summarize what the paper reported — we did not run this study.

The takeaway

Inhibiting CD38 or supplementing with nicotinamide riboside can reduce brain inflammation by increasing NAD levels.

The question

Does CD38 directly affect neuroinflammation by regulating brain NAD levels?

What they tested

CD38-mediated neuroinflammation is linked to NAD consumption, and boosting NAD through CD38 inhibition and nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation will suppress neuroinflammation.

How they did it

The study investigated the effect of CD38 deletion, CD38 inhibition with apigenin or 78c, and NAD supplementation with nicotinamide riboside (NR) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation in mice. They also used cell culture experiments with primary astrocytes and microglia to assess LPS-induced inflammatory responses.

What they found

LPS injection increased CD38 expression in the hippocampus. CD38 deletion decreased LPS-induced inflammatory responses and glial activation. Pre-administration of apigenin or NR increased NAD levels and suppressed cytokine/chemokine induction, glial activation, and neurodegeneration after LPS. In cell culture, apigenin, NAD, NR, or 78c suppressed LPS-induced inflammatory responses in astrocytes and microglia. All tested compounds suppressed the NF-κB signaling pathway in microglia.

What it means

CD38-mediated neuroinflammation is linked to NAD consumption, and increasing NAD levels through CD38 inhibition or NR supplementation directly suppresses neuroinflammation in the brain.

Limitations

The abstract does not explicitly state any limitations of the study.

Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.

“apigenin, a flavonoid with CD38 inhibitory activity, increased NAD level and suppressed neuroinflammation”— from the published abstract, J Neurochem 2021

The paper at a glance

TitleInhibition of CD38 and nicotinamide riboside ameliorate neuroinflammation by increasing NAD
JournalJ Neurochem
Year2021
PMID33871064 ↗
DOI10.1111/jnc.15367 ↗
TopicNAD⁺, sirtuins & cellular energy

Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗

Where Magellan uses this paper

This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.

Apigenin Capsules

CD38 activity rises with age and drives the tissue decline of NAD+ that is linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and cellular senescence, so inhibiting CD38 is a plausible strategy to preserve NAD+ during aging.

Apigenin Capsules

Apigenin (4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone) is a naturally occurring flavone abundant in chamomile, parsley…

Check price on Amazon ↗

Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.

Molecules & mechanisms in this paper

Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.

Nicotinamide ribosideApigeninCD38

Cite this page

These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.

APA
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Does CD38 directly affect neuroinflammation by regulating brain NAD levels? [Plain-English summary of J Neurochem 2021, PMID 33871064, DOI 10.1111/jnc.15367]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d33871064.html
BibTeX
@misc{magellan_d33871064, title = {Does CD38 directly affect neuroinflammation by regulating brain NAD levels?}, author = {{Magellan Longevity}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d33871064.html}}, note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 33871064; DOI 10.1111/jnc.15367; J Neurochem 2021. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO}, urldate = {2026-08-11} }
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How this summary was made. Every section above restates what the published abstract of PMID 33871064 reports — the question, the design, the numbers, the authors’ own conclusion and their stated limitations. We do not add claims the paper did not make, and we keep negative and no-effect findings in. Magellan’s evidence grades are set from research like this and never from affiliate commissions.

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Educational information, not medical advice. This is a plain-English summary of published research; it is not a treatment recommendation and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual studies can be wrong, and a single paper rarely settles a question. Talk to your physician before acting on any research, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.