5-amino-1MQ

5-amino-1-methylquinolinium

Weight LossNot ApprovedAnimalResearchOral

Popular for:Fat loss, metabolic health, NNMT inhibition

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Registered Trials

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Trial Publications

4

PubMed References

Animal

Evidence Level

Overview

5-amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), an enzyme increasingly recognized as a key regulator of cellular metabolism and adipogenesis. The short version: people usually care about it for fat loss, metabolic health, nnmt inhibition, but the strength of the evidence depends heavily on indication and study type.

5-amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), an enzyme increasingly recognized as a key regulator of cellular metabolism and adipogenesis. It is not a peptide but a quinolinium-based compound that has gained significant attention in the biohacking and weight management communities for its potential as a non-stimulant fat loss agent.

**Mechanism of Action: **5-amino-1MQ is a selective, membrane-permeable inhibitor of NNMT. NNMT catalyzes the methylation of nicotinamide (vitamin B3/NAM), consuming SAM (S-adenosyl methionine) as a methyl donor. By inhibiting NNMT, 5-amino-1MQ: (1) Increases intracellular NAD+ levels (boosting cellular energy metabolism), (2) Increases SAM availability (the universal methyl donor), (3) Reduces adipocyte size and white adipose tissue mass, (4) Promotes energy expenditure without affecting food intake. NNMT is overexpressed in adipose tissue of obese individuals, making it a rational therapeutic target.

Research Snapshot

What the evidence says

Animal

5-amino-1MQ currently shows 0 registered trials from ClinicalTrials.gov, 0 PubMed trial publications (0 RCT-tagged), and 4 PubMed references matching the stored source query. Treat PubMed references as literature surface area, not a count of clinical trials.

Known vs uncertain

Known signals

  • 0 registered trials are tracked from ClinicalTrials.gov intervention records.
  • 0 PubMed clinical-trial publications are indexed.
  • 0 PubMed randomized controlled trial publications are indexed.
  • 4 PubMed references are tracked separately from trial counts and can include animal, in-vitro, review, mechanism, or clinical records.

Open questions

  • Evidence strength may vary by indication, route, formulation, and population.
  • Public anecdotes can highlight interest or concern but do not establish clinical efficacy.
  • Regulatory status and compounding access can change independently from the research literature.

Mechanism of Action

- Potent, cell-permeable NNMT inhibitor (IC₅₀ around ~1.2 µM in primary reports).

Key Research Benefits

Fat loss without appetite suppression: In diet-induced obese mice, 5-amino-1MQ reduced body weight, white adipose mass, and adipocyte size without impacting food intake (Neelakantan et al., 2018, Biochem Pharmacol, PMC 5826726).
NAD+ restoration: NNMT inhibition increases intracellular NAD+ levels, boosting mitochondrial function, cellular energy, and potentially activating sirtuins (longevity-associated proteins).
Increased SAM availability: By reducing SAM consumption by NNMT, more SAM is available for DNA/histone methylation and other critical methylation reactions.
Anti-obesity in veterans: In U.S. Veterans, 5-amino-1MQ administration resulted in significant weight loss without adverse side effects (clinical observation data).
Potential metabolic benefits: NNMT inhibition has been linked to improved insulin sensitivity and reduced inflammation. NNMT is implicated in type 2 diabetes pathophysiology (Liu et al., 2021, BioMed Research International).
Non-stimulant: Unlike ephedrine, caffeine, or clenbuterol — 5-amino-1MQ does not stimulate the CNS. No jitteriness, insomnia, or cardiovascular stimulation.

Clinical Evidence Summary

Research Pipeline

Preclinical
Animal
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Approved

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Registered Trials

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Trial Publications

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RCT Publications

4

PubMed References

ClinicalTrials.govPubMed ESearchCurated alias queryChecked May 4, 2026

Registered trials are ClinicalTrials.gov intervention records. Trial publications are PubMed records tagged as clinical trials or randomized controlled trials. PubMed references are broader source-query matches and can include animal studies, in-vitro work, reviews, mechanism papers, and trial publications.

0

Registered trials

0

Trial publications

0

RCT publications

4

PubMed references

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Reviews

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Meta-analyses

Registered trials source

Jun 1, 2026

5-amino-1MQ, 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium

Uses curated ClinicalTrials.gov intervention aliases to avoid misleading registry matches.

View source

Publication counts source

May 4, 2026

5-amino-1MQ, 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, NNMT high-fat-diet obesity mouse paper

Uses chemical-name aliases plus a narrow NNMT/obesity phrase to include the foundational Neelakantan mouse study, which PubMed does not index under the display shorthand.

View source

- Neelakantan et al. (2018) — 'Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice.' Key paper establishing 5-amino-1MQ as a viable NNMT inhibitor for obesity (Biochem Pharmacol, PMC 5826726).

- Liu et al. (2021) — 'Roles of Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.' Comprehensive review of NNMT as a therapeutic target (BioMed Research International, PMC 8337113).

- Real-world clinical data from U.S. Veterans showing significant weight loss without adverse effects (observational/clinic data, not formal RCT).

- **Clinical trial status: **No registered Phase I/II/III clinical trials. Research is primarily pre-clinical (animal and cell studies). NNMT as a drug target is gaining academic interest.

Key PubMed References

NAD+ metabolism enzyme NNMT in cancer-associated fibroblasts drives tumor progression and resistance to immunotherapy by modulating macrophages in urothelial bladder cancer.

Animal Study

Yang M, Wang B, Hou W, et al. · Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2024

Translational cancer-biology paper: 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium reduced tumor growth and enhanced anti-PD-L1 effects in mouse models while human samples were used for NNMT context.

PMID: 39067875

Reduced calorie diet combined with NNMT inhibition establishes a distinct microbiome in DIO mice.

Animal Study

Dimet-Wiley A, Wu Q, Wiley JT, et al. · Scientific reports · 2022

In diet-induced obese mice, NNMT inhibition plus reduced-calorie diet shifted body-composition and microbiome patterns compared with diet switch alone.

PMID: 35013352

Small molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase shows anti-proliferative activity in HeLa cells.

In Vitro

Akar S, Duran T, Azzawri AA, et al. · Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology : the journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology · 2021

In a HeLa cell model, 5MQ inhibited cell proliferation and altered cancer-related signaling markers; this is in-vitro oncology evidence, not weight-loss clinical evidence.

PMID: 33645410

Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice.

Animal Study

Neelakantan H, Vance V, Wetzel MD, et al. · Biochemical pharmacology · 2018

Foundational mouse study: selective NNMT inhibitors, including the 5-amino-1MQ program, reversed high-fat-diet-induced obesity in mice.

PMID: 29155147

Anecdotes & Sentiment

Public discussion, not clinical evidence

This section summarizes what people are talking about in public sources. It can be useful for spotting questions, hype cycles, and recurring concerns, but it is separate from the evidence sections above.

No curated public-discussion themes are live for 5-amino-1MQ yet.

Side Effects & Safety

- **Animal studies: **No observable adverse effects at therapeutic doses in mice.

Animal studies: No observable adverse effects at therapeutic doses in mice. 5-amino-1MQ did not impact cell viability in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes at 10 μM concentrations.
Community-reported: Generally well tolerated. Some users report mild GI discomfort, headache, or dizziness. These are uncommon and usually transient.
Theoretical concerns: NNMT plays roles beyond adipose tissue (liver, brain, muscle). Long-term systemic NNMT inhibition effects are unknown. Methylation balance disruption is a theoretical risk.
Contraindications: Pregnancy, lactation. Unknown interactions with other drugs affecting methylation pathways. Caution in liver disease (NNMT is highly expressed in the liver).

Known Interactions

No curated interaction entry is live for 5-amino-1MQ yet.

Until the interaction table is fully populated, use the interaction checker and related peptides below to explore adjacent compounds and likely research pairings.

Comparison Pages

Comparison pages

All

No comparison page is linked yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Research Disclaimer

This page is for research and educational purposes only. The information presented is based on published scientific literature and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Regulatory status can vary by compound, formulation, indication, and jurisdiction. Check official labeling, registry records, and qualified professional guidance before making any health-related decision. The studies referenced are linked to their original PubMed sources for verification.