Possible mechanisms of cancer prevention by nicotinamide

Nicotinamide (NAM) is a precursor of vitamin B₃ commonly sold over the counter as a nutritional supplement with anti-aging properties. Accumulating preclinical evidence indicates that NAM also mediates oncopreventive effects against a variety of neoplasms. Supporting the translational relevance of dietary NAM supplementation, results from a Phase 3 randomized clinical trial have demonstrated that oral NAM was safe and efficiently reduced the incidence of new non-melanoma skin cancers and actinic keratosis amongst high-risk individuals. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie this ability of NAM to delay carcinogenesis remain to be clarified, as discussed in this short review. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Cellular metabolism and diseases. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v178.10/issuetoc.