5-Amino-1MQ
Also called 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, 5A-1MQ, 5-amino-1MQ iodide, 5-amino-1-methylquinolin-1-ium
Research and education only. Not medical advice. Talk to a doctor.
In 30 seconds
A small synthetic molecule, not a peptide, that blocks the enzyme NNMT.[1]
Mice only so far: less fat on a high-fat diet, better muscle repair in old mice. No human data found.[1][2]
How far has the research gotten?
No published human study and no registered trial were found (2026-10-14).[5]
5-Amino-1MQ is a methylquinolinium salt, a small molecule, even though it is often listed with peptides. The vial, water and mark fields in Peptivist still work for it if that is how it was supplied.[8]
What studies used
What each paper reports. A record of published research, not a recommendation.Screening of methylquinolinium NNMT inhibitors for cell permeability and selectivity, then an 11-day treatment of obese mice: body weight, white fat mass, fat-cell size, plasma cholesterol and food intake.
Biochemical pharmacology · 2018 · PubMed 29155147What the paper reports
20 mg/kg by subcutaneous injection three times daily for 11 days (methods; not stated in abstract)
Who: Mouse (diet-induced obese) plus cell studiesMuscle stem cell proliferation and fusion, regenerating fiber size and peak torque of an injured muscle in aged mice given an NNMT inhibitor, versus saline.
Biochemical pharmacology · 2019 · PubMed 30753815What the paper reports
5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg for 1 week, or 10 mg/kg for 3 weeks, after a muscle injury (route not stated in abstract)
Who: Mouse (24 months old) plus C2C12 cellsBody weight, fat and gut microbiome in obese mice switched to a low-fat diet with or without 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, against lean and obese controls.
Scientific reports · 2022 · PubMed 35013352What the paper reports
32 mg/kg by subcutaneous injection daily, about 7 weeks (methods; not stated in abstract)
Who: Mouse (diet-induced obese)NNMT attaches a methyl group to nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, using up SAM in the process. In mice, blocking it changed how fat cells use energy; whether the same happens in people has not been tested.[1]
What it is, in full 5
5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small synthetic molecule, not a peptide. It came out of a University of Texas Medical Branch program looking for selective, cell-permeable inhibitors of the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT).[1]
In the 2018 study that introduced it, diet-induced obese mice given it by injection for 11 days lost about 5% of body weight and had about 35% less white fat than controls, with smaller fat cells and lower cholesterol, while eating the same amount.[1]
In 24-month-old mice, an NNMT inhibitor from the same program raised muscle stem cell activity after an injury, about doubled the size of the regenerating fibers, and left peak muscle torque about 70% higher than in untreated mice.[2]
Two later mouse studies combined it with a switch to a lower-fat diet: body weight and fat returned to lean-mouse levels faster than with the diet alone, and the gut microbiome shifted.[3][4]
No published study giving 5-Amino-1MQ to people was found (checked 2026-10-14). Everything above comes from mice and cells.
What the name means. Often sold next to peptides and sometimes called one. It is a methylquinolinium salt (usually the iodide), a small molecule.
Regulatory details 2
No approved drug contains 5-Amino-1MQ. It does not appear on FDA's category 2 list of bulk substances for compounding, nor in that page's table of withdrawn nominations (page content current as of 04/22/2026), so FDA has not reviewed it for compounding at all; it has no approved use.[6]
Checked 2026-10-145-Amino-1MQ is not named on the 2026 Prohibited List. The List also prohibits unnamed substances with a similar chemical structure or biological effect to the ones it names, under several sections, so not named is not the same as cleared. Athletes should check with their anti-doping organization.[7]
Checked 2026-10-14Human trials on ClinicalTrials.gov
No registered trial giving 5-Amino-1MQ to people was found on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-10-14.[5]
All sources 8
- Neelakantan H et al. Biochem Pharmacol 2018 (PMID 29155147)PubMed / NCBI
- Neelakantan H et al. Biochem Pharmacol 2019 (PMID 30753815)PubMed / NCBI
- Sampson CM et al. Sci Rep 2021;11:5637Scientific Reports / Nature Portfolio
- Dimet-Wiley A et al. Sci Rep 2022 (PMID 35013352)PubMed / NCBI
- ClinicalTrials.gov intervention search: 5-amino-1-methylquinoliniumClinicalTrials.gov / NLM
- Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (category 2 page)U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- WADA Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency
- PubChem CID 950107: 5-Amino-1-methylquinoliniumPubChem / NCBI
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Written from the sources above and checked on the date shown. Sources can be incomplete or out of date, and summaries can contain mistakes: read the source. See the terms.