Unraveling nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN): A critical review of health implications, synthesis pathways, and analytical techniques

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a key precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺), has gained increasing attention for its potential roles in metabolic regulation, neuroprotection, and healthy aging. Recent animal and preliminary clinical studies suggest moderate efficacy and good safety, although several translational challenges—including species-specific pharmacokinetics and product heterogeneity—persist. This review highlights that advances in biosynthetic and enzymatic engineering have markedly improved NMN production efficiency, with optimized microbial systems achieving titers of 40–46 g/L. Nevertheless, issues such as isomeric impurities and batch variability continue to necessitate stringent analytical control. Meanwhile, modern analytical platforms, particularly liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), now offer high selectivity and sensitivity, enabling quantification at the nanogram-per-milliliter level. Emerging sensor-based techniques further enhance rapid or on-site detection capabilities. Finally, several future directions are proposed, including the integration of production and detection workflows, optimization of biosynthetic pathways, and standardization of NMN formulations to facilitate more robust clinical translation. • Comprehensive review of NMN biosynthesis and detection techniques. • Evaluation of enzymatic synthesis improvements over traditional chemical methods. • Critical analysis of NMN’s applications in metabolic health and anti-aging supplements. • Comparison of advanced detection methods.