Protection from DNA Damage During an Ischemic Cell Injury

During an ischemic cell injury, cellular NAD levels are lowered and DNA is damaged in a manner similar to other types of injury. Nicotinic acid given to an animal prior to the ischemic insult, caused very little change in the NAD levels but minimized the DNA damage of the injury. This protection is eliminated by 3-aminobenzamide which indicates a possible involvement of poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase in the process.