5-Amino-1MQ is sold alongside peptides, but it isn’t one. It’s a small molecule built to block a single enzyme, NNMT, that sits at a crossroads of fat-cell metabolism, vitamin B3 recycling and the cell’s main methyl donor. In mice, blocking that enzyme changed fat and muscle. In people, it has never been tested.
This guide explains what NNMT does, how 5-Amino-1MQ was developed, what the mouse studies found, why being a small molecule changes how you verify it, and what remains unknown.
The short answer
- 5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), developed by Stanley Watowich’s group at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
- NNMT attaches a methyl group to nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, using up the methyl donor SAM. Its activity is higher in the fat tissue of obese mice.
- In diet-induced obese mice, a 2018 study found it reduced body weight, white fat mass, fat-cell size and plasma cholesterol without reducing food intake.
- In aged mice, NNMT inhibition activated muscle stem cells and improved regeneration after injury in 2019, and improved grip strength in a 2024 study.
- There are no published human studies. It is not an approved drug, and research-grade 5-Amino-1MQ is a laboratory reagent.
5-Amino-1MQ
5-amino-1-methylquinolinium. A small molecule, not a peptide.
- Class
- Small-molecule NNMT inhibitor (a methylquinolinium)
- Mass
- About 159 g/mol for the active cation; usually supplied as a salt, such as the iodide
- Target
- Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT)
- Developed
- Watowich laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
- Status
- Not approved anywhere; no published human studies
Where the evidence stands
- Cell studies
- Animal studies
- Human studies
- Controlled clinical trials
All published efficacy data come from cell experiments and mice.
What NNMT does
Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase transfers a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), the cell’s main methyl donor, to nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3. The products are 1-methylnicotinamide (MNA), which is excreted, and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). NNMT is most active in liver and fat tissue.
That makes NNMT a junction point. Nicotinamide is also recycled into NAD+, a coenzyme at the centre of energy metabolism, so every molecule NNMT methylates is one fewer available for NAD+ recycling. And every reaction spends one of the cell’s SAM methyl groups.
Why obesity researchers took notice
In 2014, a Harvard team led by Barbara Kahn reported in Nature that NNMT expression was raised in the fat tissue of obese and diabetic mice, and that knocking NNMT down in fat and liver protected mice from diet-induced obesity. The treated mice burned more energy, and their fat tissue held more SAM and NAD+. That result turned NNMT into a drug target: if lowering the enzyme protected mice, perhaps blocking it with a small molecule would too.
From inhibitor series to 5-Amino-1MQ
Stanley Watowich’s group at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston designed small molecules to fit NNMT’s nicotinamide-binding pocket and described a series of quinolinium-based inhibitors in a 2017 structure-activity study. 5-Amino-1MQ stood out because it was both selective and able to enter cells. In enzyme and cell tests it blocked NNMT without affecting related methyltransferases or the enzymes of the NAD+ recycling pathway, lowered 1-methylnicotinamide levels in fat cells, and reduced fat formation in a standard fat-cell model.
Research-grade 5-Amino-1MQ with a batch-matched COA.
View 5-Amino-1MQThe 2018 obesity study
The key in-vivo test, published in Biochemical Pharmacology, used diet-induced obese mice kept on a high-fat diet. Over a short treatment period of under two weeks, the NNMT inhibitor significantly reduced body weight and white fat mass, shrank fat cells and lowered plasma total cholesterol. Food intake didn’t change, pointing to effects on fat metabolism rather than appetite.
A 2022 follow-up from the same research network combined NNMT inhibition with a lower-calorie diet in obese mice and examined changes in body composition and gut bacteria. All of this work remains preclinical.
The aged-muscle studies
Muscle stem cells, also called satellite cells, repair muscle after injury, and they lose that ability with age. NNMT expression also rises in ageing muscle. In 2019, the Galveston group reported that NNMT inhibition activated senescent muscle stem cells in aged mice and improved muscle regeneration after injury. A 2024 study in Scientific Reports found that NNMT inhibition improved grip strength in aged, sedentary mice and added to the benefits of exercise training.
What’s established and what isn’t
Reasonably well established
- 5-Amino-1MQ selectively inhibits NNMT in enzyme and cell assays.
- Lowering NNMT protected mice from diet-induced obesity in a 2014 genetic study.
- NNMT inhibition reduced fat mass in obese mice and improved muscle regeneration in aged mice.
Open questions
- Any effect in people; no human studies have been published.
- Long-term safety of shifting SAM and NAD+ metabolism.
- Effects in other tissues where NNMT is active, including its roles studied in cancer biology.
- Whether short mouse studies predict anything about long-term outcomes.
Not a peptide: what that means for testing
Because 5-Amino-1MQ is a small molecule, a few things work differently from peptide testing:
- Identity by mass spectrometry. The active cation appears at about m/z 159. There are no charge-state ladders or sequence questions, which makes identity simpler to confirm.
- Purity by HPLC, with the method shown. See our HPLC testing guide.
- Salt form. 5-Amino-1MQ is a permanently charged cation, so it is always supplied with a counter-ion. The iodide salt weighs nearly twice as much as the active cation, so check whether a stated amount refers to the salt or to 5-Amino-1MQ itself. Our net content guide explains why that matters.
- A lot number matching your vial. See our COA guide.
5-Amino-1MQThe NNMT inhibitorView product and COA
NAD+The coenzyme NNMT competes withView product and COA
MOTS-cMitochondrial metabolic peptideView product and COA
SS-31Cardiolipin-binding tetrapeptideView product and COA
Research use only. 5-Amino-1MQ from Pure Peptides Canada is a laboratory reagent for in-vitro research. It is not an approved drug or supplement, it is not for human or veterinary use, and nothing in this article is dosing or medical guidance.
Frequently asked questions
What is 5-Amino-1MQ?
5-Amino-1MQ, or 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, is a small-molecule inhibitor of the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). It was developed at the University of Texas Medical Branch and has been studied in mouse models of obesity and muscle ageing.
Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?
No. It is a small organic molecule, about 159 g/mol for the active cation, not a chain of amino acids. It is often sold alongside research peptides because it is studied in related metabolic research.
What does NNMT do?
NNMT transfers a methyl group from SAM to nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, producing 1-methylnicotinamide. In doing so it uses up a methyl donor and removes nicotinamide that could otherwise be recycled into NAD+.
What did the mouse studies show?
In diet-induced obese mice, 5-Amino-1MQ reduced body weight, fat mass, fat-cell size and plasma cholesterol without changing food intake. In aged mice, NNMT inhibition improved muscle stem cell activity, regeneration after injury and grip strength.
Has 5-Amino-1MQ been tested in humans?
No human studies have been published. All efficacy data come from cell experiments and mice.
Is 5-Amino-1MQ approved in Canada?
No. It is not an approved drug in Canada or anywhere else. Research-grade 5-Amino-1MQ is a laboratory reagent and is not for human use.
5-Amino-1MQ for laboratory research
Research-grade 5-Amino-1MQ with an independent, batch-matched COA, tracked delivery across Canada and pricing in Canadian dollars.
References
- Kraus D, Yang Q, Kong D, et al. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase knockdown protects against diet-induced obesity. Nature. 2014;508(7495):258–262.
- Neelakantan H, Wang HY, Vance V, et al. Structure-activity relationship for small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase. J Med Chem. 2017.
- Neelakantan H, Vance V, Wetzel MD, et al. Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice. Biochem Pharmacol. 2018;147:141–152.
- Neelakantan H, et al. Small molecule nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibitor activates senescent muscle stem cells and improves regenerative capacity of aged skeletal muscle. Biochem Pharmacol. 2019;163:481–492. DOI
- Dimet-Wiley AL, et al. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition mimics and boosts exercise-mediated improvements in muscle function in aged mice. Sci Rep. 2024. PubMed
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. This article summarizes published research for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.