Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase contributes to cocaine addiction through sirtuin 1

Drug addiction is a persistent mental illness and there is no effective treatment. The precise mechanisms underlying addictive responses have not been completely understood, although ion channels, neurotransmitters as well as their receptors, and intracellular endogenous molecules in the brain have been shown to play important roles in cocaine addiction. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is an important rate-limiting enzyme found throughout the body that converts the intracellular pool of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) into nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). It reveals a critical role in physiological and pathophysiological conditions such as NAD biosynthesis, aging, inflammation, obesity, diabetes, stroke, motor dysfunction, and cancer. A recent study published in Experimental Neurology by Cen group demonstrated that NAMPT contributes to cocaine reward through sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) signaling in the brain ventral tegmental area. Thus, targeting NAMPT/SIRT1 signaling pathway may provide a promising therapeutic strategy against cocaine addiction.