positive role of niacin on serum lipid profile of rats treated with glucocorticoids (gcs) has been reported. this study aims to evaluate effect of niacin on bone changes in gc-induced dyslipidemic rats. a number of 28 growing rats divided into four groups and treated as control, methyl prednisolone (mp) group (3.5 mg/kg five days a week, sc); mpn group (mp + niacin 200 mg/kg/day orally) and mpa...

As a model system for investigating the mechanism of the hepatic NAD-lowering effect of leucine in rats, aerobically grown Saccharomyces carlsbergensis was used in this paper. Tryptophan supplementation of the medium doubled total niacin production by S. carlsbergensis. This elevation in total niacin was mainly due to increases in niacin (14 times) and niacinamide nucleotides (2 times). Among n...

The anti-dyslipidemic drug niacin has recently been shown to reduce the hepatic expression and plasma levels of CETP. Since liver macrophages contribute to hepatic CETP expression, we investigated the role of macrophages in the CETP-lowering effect of niacin in mice. In vitro studies showed that niacin does not directly attenuate CETP expression in macrophages. Treatment of normolipidemic human...

Niacin and its related derivatives have been shown to have effects on cellular activities. However, the molecular mechanism of its reduced immunosuppressive effects and photoprotective effects remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of the photoprotective effect of niacin in ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated human skin ke...

Niacin was the first hypolipidemic drug to significantly reduce both major cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. Niacin favorably influences all lipoprotein classes, including lipoprotein[a],and belongs to the most potent hypolipidemic drugs for increasing HDL-C. Moreover, niacin causes favorable changes to the qualitative composition of lipoprotein HDL. I...

The effects of niacin, namely, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, and trigonelline on the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells were studied using a rat ascites hepatoma cell line of AH109A in culture. Niacin and trigonelline inhibited the invasion of hepatoma cells at concentrations of 2.5-40 microM without affecting proliferation. Hepatoma cells previously cultured with a reactive oxygen s...

BACKGROUND Diabetic dyslipidemia is characterized by high triglyceride levels; low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels; small, dense low-density lipoprotein particles; and high free fatty acid levels. Niacin reduces concentrations of triglyceride-rich and small low-density lipoprotein particles while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. It also lowers levels of free f...

BACKGROUND Niacin is widely available over the counter (OTC). We sought to determine the safety of 500 mg immediate release niacin, when healthy individuals use them as directed. METHODS 51 female and 17 male healthy volunteers (mean age 27 years SD 4.4) participated in a randomized placebo-controlled blinded trial of a single dose of an OTC, immediate-release niacin 500 mg (n = 33), or a sin...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Niacin is the most effective medication in current clinical use for increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. We tested the hypothesis that niacin treatment of stroke promotes synaptic plasticity and axon growth in the ischemic brain. METHODS Male Wistar rats were subjected to 2 hours of middle cerebral artery occlusion and treated with or without Niaspan (a prol...

pyrazinamide, isoniazide, 6-mercaptopurine and 5-flurouracil may also result in pellagra like syndromes. Pyrazinamide and isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH) are structural analogues of niacin and can depress endogenous niacin production by feedback inhibition or substrate competition. INH impairs the functioning of pyridoxine, a cofactor in tryptophan-niacin pathway and inhibits the niacin synth...