Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?

No. Despite being sold alongside research peptides, 5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule quinolinium salt with no amino acid residues. It is chemically more analogous to a drug candidate than to a peptide. Its mechanism is enzyme inhibition (NNMT) rather than receptor binding.

Is 5-Amino-1MQ approved or legal to use?

It is not an approved drug anywhere. It is not a controlled substance in the US (not DEA scheduled) and can be purchased for research purposes. However, it is prohibited in competitive sport under WADA's S0 (non-approved substances) category and cannot be legally compounded as a pharmaceutical. Material is sold for research use only.

What does the research actually show?

Published animal studies from one research group at UTMB show that 5-Amino-1MQ reduces fat mass, body weight, and adipocyte size in obese mice without reducing food intake, and improves skeletal muscle mass and function in aged mice. These are real peer-reviewed findings. However, there are zero published human clinical trials — no safety study, no efficacy data, no dose-finding. Extrapolation to humans is speculative.

What is the half-life of 5-Amino-1MQ?

Rat pharmacokinetic data (the only published PK study) shows an IV half-life of approximately 3.8 hours and an oral half-life of approximately 6.9 hours, with oral bioavailability of ~38.4% in rats. Mouse oral bioavailability is substantially lower. No human PK data exists.

What community dosing protocols are used?

Anecdotal protocols (no clinical basis) typically describe 50–150 mg/day orally in split morning doses, in 8–12 week cycles. Morning dosing is favoured to avoid insomnia. Injectable protocols of 2.5–5 mg/day SC are also reported. These are entirely extrapolated from animal studies and should not be treated as validated dosing guidance.

No human safety data exists. Animal studies at therapeutic doses over up to 12 weeks show no organ toxicity, but chronic, carcinogenicity, and reproductive studies have not been published. Community-reported side effects are primarily insomnia (most common), headache, and GI discomfort. Long-term safety in humans is entirely unknown. Not for human consumption.

Metabolic

5-Amino-1MQ

Also known as: 5-Amino-1-methylquinolinium, 5-Amino-1-methyl quinolinium, NNMTi

A small-molecule inhibitor of the enzyme NNMT studied in rodent obesity and muscle models; zero human trial data; research use only.

Last updated July 11, 2026

Buy 5-Amino-1MQ

Overview

5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a synthetic quaternary aromatic small molecule — a quinolinium salt, not a peptide — that selectively inhibits nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). Despite being sold alongside research peptides, it has no amino acid residues and is chemically a drug-like small molecule (PubChem CID 950107; MW ~159 Da as the free cation, ~286 Da as the iodide salt). It was identified and developed primarily by the Watowich/Neelakantan laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), with most published research emerging from that group between 2017 and 2024. NNMT is a metabolic enzyme that is markedly overexpressed in adipose tissue of obese individuals. It consumes SAM (S-adenosylmethionine) and diverts nicotinamide (NAM) away from NAD+ synthesis, creating an intracellular environment that promotes adipogenesis and suppresses fat cell energy expenditure. 5-Amino-1MQ was designed to occupy the nicotinamide-binding pocket of NNMT, blocking this process. In diet-induced obese mice, the compound reduced fat mass and body weight without altering food intake, and in aged mice it improved skeletal muscle mass and function. As of mid-2026, there are no published human clinical trials for 5-Amino-1MQ or for any small-molecule NNMT inhibitor. The entire drug class is preclinical. The compound is sold in research peptide markets as an oral capsule or injectable, but dosing protocols are entirely extrapolated from animal studies, and no human safety, pharmacokinetic, or efficacy data has been published. This entry is for research reference only.

How it works

NNMT catalyses the transfer of a methyl group from SAM onto nicotinamide (NAM), producing 1-methylnicotinamide (1-MNA) and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). 5-Amino-1MQ's quinolinium scaffold structurally mimics nicotinamide, allowing it to competitively occupy NNMT's NAM-binding pocket with high affinity and selectivity. It is membrane-permeable and acts intracellularly. When NNMT is overactive (as in obese adipose tissue), two metabolic problems compound: SAM is depleted (reducing the SAM:SAH methylation potential ratio, which broadly suppresses SAM-dependent histone and DNA methyltransferases and locks in pro-adipogenic gene expression), and NAM is diverted away from the NAD+ salvage pathway (NAMPT → NMN → NAD+), lowering cellular NAD+. By inhibiting NNMT, 5-Amino-1MQ raises intracellular SAM, reduces SAH, restores histone methylation capacity (H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 marks), and allows more NAM to re-enter the NAD+ salvage pathway — increasing NAD+. These combined effects reverse the epigenetic and metabolic programme that drives adipocyte differentiation and energy storage. Additionally, NNMT associates with methionine cycle enzymes (BHMT, MAT1A, AHCY) in a metabolic complex; inhibiting NNMT is proposed to disrupt this complex. These mechanisms are demonstrated in vitro and in animal models. Human validation has not been published.

Researched effects

Preclinical Reduces fat mass and body weight in diet-induced obese mice without reducing food intake (approximately 5% body weight reduction over 11 days at 20 mg/kg SC TID)
Preclinical Inhibits adipocyte differentiation and reverses pro-adipogenic gene expression programs in cell models via SAM/histone methylation pathways
Preclinical Elevates intracellular NAD+ levels in adipose tissue
Preclinical Improves skeletal muscle mass, fibre cross-sectional area, and torque output in aged mice
Preclinical Combined with caloric restriction, restores body weight and fat mass to lean-control levels in obese mice (effect greater than diet alone)
Preclinical Improves oral glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and hepatic steatosis markers in obese mice with extended dosing
Anecdotal Reduction in body fat and improved energy with oral supplementation (community-reported)

Evidence levels: Clinical (human trials) · Preclinical (animal/lab) · Anecdotal (community-reported).

Dosing reference

For research reference only — not a recommendation.

Clinical / studied dosing

No human clinical dosing has been established. There are no published clinical trials for 5-Amino-1MQ or any NNMT inhibitor in humans. Published animal doses range from 5–32 mg/kg/day subcutaneously in mice (split across two or three daily injections in some protocols). The rat oral bioavailability is approximately 38.4%, with an oral half-life of about 6.9 hours in rats — but mouse oral bioavailability is poor (species difference), and neither rat nor mouse data can be directly translated to human dosing equivalents without dose-finding trials.

Community-reported dosing (anecdotal)

Anecdotal and research-reference only; not medical advice. Community and vendor guides (with no clinical trial basis) commonly describe oral capsule protocols of 50–150 mg/day, often split into two morning doses, in cycles of 8–12 weeks on with a break. Some users stack with NMN or NR (NAD+ precursors) on the rationale that NNMT inhibition and NAD+ precursor supplementation may be complementary. Injectable protocols (2.5–5 mg/day SC) are cited by a smaller subset. Morning-only dosing is commonly recommended to avoid insomnia, which is the most frequently reported side effect. All of these protocols are entirely anecdotal extrapolations from animal data with no human clinical basis.

Half-life: Rat pharmacokinetic data (Awosemo et al., 2021): IV half-life approximately 3.80 ± 1.10 hours; oral half-life approximately 6.90 ± 1.20 hours; oral bioavailability approximately 38.4% in rats. Mouse oral bioavailability is substantially lower (species difference confirmed in Babula et al., 2024). No human pharmacokinetic data has been published.
Routes: oral, subcutaneous

Safety & side effects

5-Amino-1MQ has no published human safety data. No IND application or Phase 1 human safety trial has been announced or published as of mid-2026. In published animal studies, no serious adverse effects, dose-limiting toxicities, or organ toxicity markers (ALT/AST/creatinine) were reported at therapeutic doses across study durations of 11 days to approximately 12 weeks. There are no published chronic toxicology, carcinogenicity, or reproductive toxicity studies. Community-reported side effects (all anecdotal): insomnia if dosed in the afternoon/evening (most commonly reported), mild headache (~10–15% per vendor-sourced estimates), nausea or GI discomfort in the first one to two weeks, and mild stimulatory effects or jitteriness at higher doses. Injection-site stinging is reported for injectable forms. 5-Amino-1MQ is not an approved drug, not on the FDA's 503A compounding list, and has no IND on public record. It is not a controlled substance (not DEA scheduled) in the United States as of 2026, but it falls under WADA's S0 category (non-approved substances with pharmacological action), making it prohibited for all competitive athletes at all times. Products are for research use only and not for human consumption.

Research summary

5-Amino-1MQ has a coherent and mechanistically well-supported preclinical story, with the most relevant published work coming from one research group (Watowich/Neelakantan, UTMB). The 2017 J Med Chem SAR paper established the compound as the lead NNMT inhibitor from a quinolinium series. The 2018 Biochemical Pharmacology study demonstrated fat mass and body weight reduction in diet-induced obese mice without appetite suppression. The 2019 Biochemical Pharmacology study extended the finding to aged skeletal muscle. The 2021 J Pharm Biomed Anal paper provides rat pharmacokinetic parameters. The 2022 Scientific Reports paper showed synergy with caloric restriction. The 2024 Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism paper extended to metabolic syndrome endpoints and confirmed poor mouse oral bioavailability, underscoring the importance of route in translation. The critical limitation is the absence of any human data — no Phase 1 safety trial, no dose-finding study, no efficacy signal in humans. A 2024 review (Trends in Pharmacological Sciences) frames NNMT inhibition as 'an emerging opportunity for clinical translation', confirming the field remains entirely preclinical. Independent replication of the core animal findings by groups outside UTMB has been limited. For the research peptide community, the compound is notable for its clean mechanistic story (NNMT overexpression in obesity is an established fact; SAM and NAD+ perturbations are real) and its oral activity in some species. However, the gap between a promising preclinical compound and a validated human intervention is very large, and community dosing is pure extrapolation. Confidence in human efficacy at this stage is low.

FAQ

Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?: No. Despite being sold alongside research peptides, 5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule quinolinium salt with no amino acid residues. It is chemically more analogous to a drug candidate than to a peptide. Its mechanism is enzyme inhibition (NNMT) rather than receptor binding.
Is 5-Amino-1MQ approved or legal to use?: It is not an approved drug anywhere. It is not a controlled substance in the US (not DEA scheduled) and can be purchased for research purposes. However, it is prohibited in competitive sport under WADA's S0 (non-approved substances) category and cannot be legally compounded as a pharmaceutical. Material is sold for research use only.
What does the research actually show?: Published animal studies from one research group at UTMB show that 5-Amino-1MQ reduces fat mass, body weight, and adipocyte size in obese mice without reducing food intake, and improves skeletal muscle mass and function in aged mice. These are real peer-reviewed findings. However, there are zero published human clinical trials — no safety study, no efficacy data, no dose-finding. Extrapolation to humans is speculative.
What is the half-life of 5-Amino-1MQ?: Rat pharmacokinetic data (the only published PK study) shows an IV half-life of approximately 3.8 hours and an oral half-life of approximately 6.9 hours, with oral bioavailability of ~38.4% in rats. Mouse oral bioavailability is substantially lower. No human PK data exists.
What community dosing protocols are used?: Anecdotal protocols (no clinical basis) typically describe 50–150 mg/day orally in split morning doses, in 8–12 week cycles. Morning dosing is favoured to avoid insomnia. Injectable protocols of 2.5–5 mg/day SC are also reported. These are entirely extrapolated from animal studies and should not be treated as validated dosing guidance.
Is 5-Amino-1MQ safe?: No human safety data exists. Animal studies at therapeutic doses over up to 12 weeks show no organ toxicity, but chronic, carcinogenicity, and reproductive studies have not been published. Community-reported side effects are primarily insomnia (most common), headache, and GI discomfort. Long-term safety in humans is entirely unknown. Not for human consumption.

References

All content is for research and educational use only and is not medical advice. Products are sold for laboratory research only and are not for human consumption.