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# Vitamin B3 effective in fighting superbugs or MRSA
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_b3_niacin_superbugs_0909120848/
- Published: 2012-09-09T09:48:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:05:08.000Z
- Description: A Journal of Clinical Investigation study found nicotinamide boosted killing of Staphylococcus aureus up to 1,000-fold in mice and human blood samples, apparently by way of neutrophils: the effect disappeared in mice lacking C/EBP-epsilon or unable to produce neutrophils.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Sunday Spet 9, 2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- A new study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests that megadoses of nicotinamide or vitamin B3 or niacin may be enlisted to treat a life-threatening infection called methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus, or MRSA or superbugs.

Superbug MRSA infection treatment is limited. The infection kills more Americans now than AIDS. VOA NEWS cited U.S. public health officials as reporting more than 18,000 deaths from superbug infection in 2005, compared to 16,000 deaths in the U.S. from AIDS in the same year.

George Liu, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and colleagues conducted the study and found vitamin b3 increased expression of the myeloid-specific transcription factor, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ε (C/EBPε) in wild myeloid cells and the activity of the protein and other downstream antimicrobial targets, particularly in neutrophils.

In mice and human blood samples, vitamin b3 was able to enhance killing of Staphyloccocus aureus or simply S. aureus by as much as 1,000 fold. 

However, the efficacy was not observed in mice that were either C/EBPε-deficient or could not produce neutrophils. The evidence seems to suggest that the killing of the superbugs enhanced by vitamin b3 was mediated by neutropils. VOA News cited Dr. Liu as saying early research showed people with a mutated neutropills gene were susceptible to severe, chronic infections.

Vitamin b3 may be used effectively to prevent or treat the MRSA infection, the researchers also found.

The doses that tested effective in human blood and mice was 1mM and 250 mg/kg of vitamin b3, respectively. The dose of 1mM, which is about 6 grams of vitamin b3 per day has been used in cancer patients to sensitize radiotherapy and other treatments. The researchers say "Therefore, our data suggest that a NAM (nicotinamide) concentration safely achievable in humans could provide protection against S. aureus infection. "

The dose of 250 mg/kg of vitamin b3 is high. The highest dose used in most trials was 80 mg/kg. But the researchers cited a report as showing an equivalent peak serum level can be achieved with a dose of 80 to 90 mg/kg in humans and 171 mg/kg in mice. They also said a review suggests that when carefully prepared, niacin can be toxin-free and the maximum tolerable dose can be as high as 350 mg/kg. That means that the effective dose to enhance the killing of superbugs can be possibly used in humans.

Niacin, vitamin b3 and nicotinamide are used interchangeably throughout the report. But used in the study was actually nicotinamide. According to Linus Pauling Institute, vitamin B3 is nicotinic acid commonly called niacin, and nicotinamide, which was used in the current study, is the derivative of niacin or vitamin B3\. Niacin and nicotinamide are available as supplements.