Zinc and Nicotinamide Riboside
- Lauren Donahoo
- Sep 17, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 29, 2025
This trial is designed to test the feasibility (whether patients can be recruited, retained and followed) of a decentralized, double-blind randomized controlled trial using a combination of zinc and nicotinamide riboside in patients with IPF.
Improvements in symptoms, quality of life, and lung function are secondary endpoints.
Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is a form of vitamin B3 and is a precursor to NAD + , a cofactor involved in mitochondrial function, DNA repair, and energy metabolism. Loss of NAD + is associated with tissue damage in multiple organ systems and is associated with the aging process. Studies have shown that increasing NAD + concentrations in lung cells is associated with decreased lung fibrosis in aging mice. Reference- CD38 Mediates Lung Fibrosis by Promoting Alveolar Epithelial Cell Aging published in Am J Respir Crit Care Med. Reference
Zinc is an essential trace element involved in immune system regulation and
antioxidative functions and cell division. Combining NR with zinc may have synergistic effects by decreasing oxidative stress and reducing inflammation and cellular senescence.
Positive results will demonstrate that a decentralized trial approach is feasible in IPF, lowering barriers to participation and enabling more flexible trial designs. The trial may also provide preliminary evidence that the combination of NR and zinc can improve symptoms, lung function, and quality of life for patients suffering with IPF.
The Principal Investigator of the trial is Tanzira Zaman, MD, Medical Director of the Interstitial Lung Disease program at Cedars-Sinai and Associate Program Director of the Cedars-Sinai Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship.
The trial is based on original work from Paul Noble, MD, Professor, Director of the Lung Institute, and Vera and Paul Guerin Distinguished Chair in Pulmonary Medicine at Cedars-Sinai. “The ZIP8/SIRT1 axis regulates alveolar progenitor cell renewal in aging and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis” published in JCI. Read it here.