NADH
NADH is the reduced form of NAD+. Your cells make it when NAD+ accepts electrons, during glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and fatty-acid oxidation. NADH then delivers those electrons to the mitochondrial electron transport chain, which drives ATP synthesis. The ratio of NAD+ to NADH in a cell reflects its metabolic state. It also shapes sirtuin activity, redox signaling, and which fuel the cell burns. When the ratio shifts toward NADH, which often happens in aging and metabolic disease, it is tied to 'reductive stress' and mitochondrial dysfunction.
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Sources
- Hirst J. (2013). Mitochondrial complex I. *Annual Review of Biochemistry*doi:10.1146/annurev-biochem-070511-103700
- Covarrubias AJ, Perrone R, Grozio A, Verdin E. (2021). NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes during ageing. *Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology*doi:10.1038/s41580-020-00313-x