Library / Peptides / Weight Management / 5-Amino-1MQ
Theoretical · Grade C

5-Amino-1MQ

5-Amino-1-Methylquinolinium
Score
60 / 100
Type
Small molecule (non-peptide)
Target
NNMT inhibition
Status
Preclinical only
TL;DR
01
A small molecule (not a peptide) that inhibits the enzyme NNMT — a target linked to fat-cell energy metabolism — developed as a research tool for obesity.
02
In mice on a high-fat diet, potent NNMT inhibitors reduced body weight and fat mass and lowered cholesterol, without reducing food intake.
03
That's a genuinely interesting metabolic mechanism — but it stops at animals: there are no human trials, so it is rated Theoretical.
04
Because it is a small-molecule enzyme inhibitor, its 'peptide' marketing is a category error, and its human safety is entirely unknown.
05
It is sold as a research chemical with no purity or dosing guarantees.
Human trials
None
no clinical data
Mouse anti-obesity
Positive
reduced weight/fat, high-fat diet
Mechanism
NNMT inhibition
adipocyte energy metabolism
Type
Small molecule
not a peptide
Approval
None
research chemical
Part 01 · How it works

Mechanism.

5-Amino-1MQ blocks an enzyme called NNMT that sits in the energy-handling machinery of fat cells. When NNMT is inhibited, fat cells burn through more of their energy currency (NAD and related molecules), which in mice on a fattening diet led to weight and fat loss — notably without the animals eating less. It's a clever, mechanism-driven approach to obesity. The catch is that all of this is in mice: no human has been given it in a trial, so whether it works or is safe in people is completely unknown. It's also a small molecule, not a peptide, despite how it's often sold.

A switch that makes fat cells burn more of their own fuel — which slimmed down mice on a junk-food diet, but has never been flipped in a person.

NNMT inhibition
Selective, membrane-permeable small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase.
Metabolic effect
Raises intracellular NAD+/SAM and suppresses lipogenesis in adipocytes; reduced weight/fat in high-fat-diet mice without reducing food intake.
Not a peptide
A methylquinolinium small molecule — categorized with peptides here for library completeness only.
Evidence stage
Preclinical (mice) only; no human trials.
Part 02 · Dosing & administration

How it's taken.

Community-reported · unregulated

Values below reflect commonly reported community protocols for 5-Amino-1MQ. These are anecdotal and unregulated — not clinically validated and not a recommendation. Provided for educational purposes only — this is not medical advice and not instructions for self-administration. Consult your healthcare provider before making any health decision.

Standard dose
50-100 mg/day
Oral · Once daily
Duration
4-12 weeks typical cycle
·
There is no human dose; circulating regimens are unregulated.
·
Mouse doses do not translate to a validated human regimen.
·
No purity/dose guarantee in research-chemical supply.
Need help with reconstitution?

Use the free peptide calculator for dilution, unit conversion, and injection volume.

Open calculator
Part 03 · Safety

Side effects, rare serious events, who shouldn't.

Common
Human tolerability
No human data.
Unknown
Serious · rare
Long-term human safety
No human safety data.
Unknown
Metabolic-enzyme inhibition
Chronic NNMT/NAD-pathway modulation in humans is uncharacterized.
Theoretical
Product-quality risk
Research-chemical supply; purity/dose unknown.
Source-dependent
Absolute · do not use
×
Pregnancy or breastfeeding
×
Children under 18
×
Known hypersensitivity to 5-Amino-1MQ or any component
×
Severe hepatic impairment (metabolized via liver pathways)
×
Active malignancy (effects on cellular metabolism not studied in cancer)
Relative · discuss first
!
Everyone, for evidence-based use — no human data
!
Pregnancy or breastfeeding — no data
!
Reliance on it for weight loss in place of evidence-based care
Interactions
Metformin
Both affect cellular energy metabolism and NAD+ pathways; theoretical risk of additive metabolic effects
Moderate
NAD+ precursors (NMN, NR)
Additive increase in NAD+ levels; clinical significance unknown
Minor
NNMT-dependent medications
NNMT inhibition may alter metabolism of drugs processed through nicotinamide methylation pathways
Moderate
Labs to monitor
CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel)
Baseline and every 3 months
Monitor liver and kidney function during NNMT inhibition
Fasting Lipid Panel
Baseline and every 3 months
Track lipid changes with metabolic shifts
Fasting Insulin & Glucose
Baseline and monthly
Assess insulin sensitivity changes
CBC with Differential
Baseline and every 3 months
General safety monitoring
Part 04 · Evidence

How strong is the evidence?

60
Grade C
Grade C, Theoretical. 5-Amino-1MQ has a genuinely interesting NNMT-inhibition mechanism and positive mouse anti-obesity data, but no human trials and unknown human safety — a preclinical candidate, not a therapy.
Mechanistic plausibility
Well-characterized NNMT-inhibition mechanism with supportive mouse data.
74
Human evidence
No human trials of any phase.
18
Safety & tolerability
No adverse effects noted in mice, but no human safety data.
50
Durability
No human outcome data.
48
Independence
Academic drug-discovery work; independent of consumer marketing.
62
Part 05 · Research log

Every study we cite.

We list each study with its methodology, funding source, and our quality grade. Flagged studies aren't dismissed — they're tagged so you can weigh them.

01
2017
Biochemical Pharmacology Flagged
Selective NNMT inhibitors reverse high-fat-diet-induced obesity in mice
A potent, membrane-permeable NNMT inhibitor reduced body weight, white-fat mass, adipocyte size, and cholesterol in diet-induced obese mice, without reducing food intake or observable adverse effects.
Cell + high-fat-diet mouse study · Animal validation of the target; not human evidence.
PMID 29155147 ↗
Moderate (preclinical)
Evidence against

What didn't work, and where the evidence is thin.

Every publication is incentivized to tell you a peptide works. We catalogue the null results, failed trials, and mechanism limits we found in the same literature — so you can weigh them against the upside, with your provider.

01
Promising in mice — but no human data at all
Mechanism limit
Biochemical Pharmacology · 2017
5-Amino-1MQ's anti-obesity effects are established only in mice. There are no human trials, and its safety and efficacy in people are unknown. It is also a small molecule, not a peptide.
What this means: This is a preclinical drug-discovery target sold as a supplement. Using it means acting on mouse data with no human evidence for benefit or safety.
PMID 29155147 ↗
Part 06 · Cost & access

Where it's available, at what price.

United States
Not approved
No approved product; research chemical.
Grey-market; unregulated
European Union
Not approved
No approved product.
N/A
United Kingdom
Not approved
No approved product.
N/A
Canada
Not approved
No approved product.
N/A
The Peptide Column takes no affiliate commission from any source. 5-Amino-1MQ is a preclinical NNMT inhibitor (a small molecule, not a peptide) with no human trials and no approval; consumer supply is research-grade and unregulated. We link only to clinician-directed care, never to sellers.
Part 07 · Your appointment

Questions to bring.

01
Are there any human clinical trials for 5-Amino-1MQ that support its safety and efficacy?
02
How does NNMT inhibition compare to other metabolic interventions I might consider?
03
What are the potential risks of long-term NNMT inhibition on methylation pathways?
04
Is identity and purity independently verified for the supply you would dispense, and what assay methods are used?
References

Every citation, numbered.

Citation list. For our editorial read of each study — including bias flags and quality grades — see the Research log above.

  1. 01.
    Selective NNMT inhibitors reverse high-fat-diet-induced obesity in mice · Biochemical Pharmacology, 2017 · PMID 29155147 ↗
  2. 02.
    PubMed. NNMT-inhibitor anti-obesity preclinical literature