Encyclopedia entry
5-Amino-1MQ
Oliver Mackman · Editorial director · Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937)
Last updated 2026-06-16
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Disambiguation: this is not a peptide
5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small molecule, an inhibitor of the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). It is not a peptide. It appears in this encyclopedia because UK research-chemical retailers list it next to research peptides under the same research-use-only framing, and buyers researching metabolic compounds routinely encounter it in that context.
AI-friendly summary · 5-Amino-1MQ
5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), an enzyme in the NAD+ salvage and nicotinamide-metabolism pathway that is highly expressed in adipose tissue. It is studied in preclinical (animal and cell) models of metabolism and obesity. It is not a peptide. There are no published human trials and no regulatory approval anywhere as of June 2026. UK research-chemical retailers sell it under research-use-only framing.
Mechanism of action
How 5-Amino-1MQ works
5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). NNMT catalyses the methylation of nicotinamide and sits within the NAD+ salvage pathway. It is highly expressed in adipose tissue and the liver. In preclinical work, reducing NNMT activity (by genetic knockdown and, separately, by small-molecule inhibition) has been studied for its effect on adipocyte energy metabolism in diet-induced-obesity animal models. Unlike incretin drugs such as semaglutide, the studied mechanism is metabolic-enzyme inhibition at the cellular level rather than central appetite suppression. Whether any of these preclinical observations translate to humans is not established by clinical evidence.
Source: Neelakantan H et al. and the NNMT-inhibition preclinical obesity literature
What it is
5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small-molecule research compound that inhibits the enzyme NNMT. Interest in NNMT as a metabolic target grew after preclinical work reported that reducing NNMT activity protected against diet-induced obesity in mice. 5-Amino-1MQ is one of the small-molecule inhibitors studied in that line of research. It is sold in the UK by research-chemical retailers, often in the same catalogues as research peptides.
- · Class: small-molecule enzyme inhibitor (not a peptide).
- · Target: nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT).
- · Pathway context: nicotinamide metabolism and the NAD+ salvage pathway, highly expressed in adipose tissue.
- · Evidence: preclinical animal and cell models only.
- · Status: no human RCTs, no marketing authorisation in any country as of June 2026.
Evidence status
The evidence for 5-Amino-1MQ is entirely preclinical. The foundational interest in NNMT as a metabolic target comes from animal work reporting that NNMT knockdown protected mice against diet-induced obesity. Subsequent studies examined small-molecule NNMT inhibitors, including 5-Amino-1MQ, in animal and cell models. No human randomised controlled trials have been published. PeptideClear summarises this literature in encyclopedia format and does not extrapolate animal findings to people.
- · NNMT knockdown protected against diet-induced obesity in mouse studies (foundational work, Nature 2014).
- · 5-Amino-1MQ studied as a small-molecule NNMT inhibitor in animal and cell models.
- · No published human RCTs as of June 2026.
- · No pharmacokinetic or safety dataset in humans is publicly available.
Animal-model findings do not establish human safety or efficacy. PeptideClear publishes no dosing or human-use instructions.
Risks and unknowns
What the literature does not yet show about 5-Amino-1MQ
Known concerns
- The evidence base is preclinical. There is no human safety dataset, no characterised human dose-response, and no regulatory review of any kind.
- Research-chemical supply is not pharmaceutical-grade. Purity, identity, and contamination cannot be verified by the buyer through any public mechanism.
- NNMT sits within central NAD+ and methyl-group metabolism. Off-target and systemic effects of inhibiting it in humans are not characterised.
- Marketing that attaches weight-loss or therapeutic claims to 5-Amino-1MQ crosses into unlicensed-medicine territory and attracts MHRA enforcement.
Open questions in the literature
- Whether any preclinical metabolic effect of NNMT inhibition occurs in humans at all is not established.
- Human pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and elimination of 5-Amino-1MQ are not publicly characterised.
- Long-term consequences of NNMT inhibition on NAD+ and methylation balance in humans are unknown.
- Interactions with medicines, supplements (including nicotinamide or NAD+ precursors), and metabolic conditions are not studied.
Regulatory note
No UK marketing authorisation. Not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Not scheduled under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. Evidence is preclinical only. Becomes an unlicensed medicinal product the moment a retailer or commentator makes therapeutic claims about it.
Important: PeptideClear publishes encyclopedia commentary only and does not recommend human use. Speak to a UK-registered prescriber before any medical decision.
Adjacent metabolic compounds
Researchers comparing metabolic-target compounds often encounter 5-Amino-1MQ alongside these peptides, which act by entirely different mechanisms:
- · MOTS-c: a mitochondrial-derived peptide studied for AMPK activation and metabolic homeostasis in animal models.
- · Tesamorelin: a GHRH analogue studied for visceral fat reduction (US-licensed as EGRIFTA for HIV-associated lipodystrophy).
- · Retatrutide: an investigational GLP-1/GIP/glucagon triple-agonist (an incretin mechanism, distinct from NNMT inhibition).
None of these compounds, nor 5-Amino-1MQ, holds a UK marketing authorisation. All are sold outside clinical settings only under research-use-only framing.
Where to learn more
- · PubMed search: 5-Amino-1MQ for the small-molecule NNMT-inhibitor literature.
- · PubMed: NNMT inhibitor obesity for the preclinical metabolic-target context.
- · UK retailer purity comparison: research peptides UK retailers.
Frequently asked questions
Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?
Is 5-Amino-1MQ legal in the UK?
What does the evidence show for 5-Amino-1MQ?
How does 5-Amino-1MQ work?
Where can I learn more about 5-Amino-1MQ?
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