5-Amino-1MQ
Also known as 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, 5-A-1MQ, 5-AMQ, NNMT inhibitor
5-Amino-1MQ is a small molecule, not a peptide, that blocks the enzyme NNMT in fat cells. Mouse studies show reduced fat mass and improved metabolic markers; there are no human trials of any kind.
Overview
5-Amino-1MQ is not a peptide. It is a small, positively charged molecule developed at the University of Texas Medical Branch as a selective inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), an enzyme that is unusually active in the fat and liver tissue of obese animals and people. It came out of a medicinal chemistry program that was specifically trying to build NNMT inhibitors able to cross cell membranes, since earlier compounds could hit the enzyme in a test tube but not inside a cell.
The evidence base is entirely rodent and cell culture. In diet-induced obese mice, about 11 days of twice-daily injections cut body weight by roughly 5 to 7 percent, reduced white fat mass by around 12 percent and shrank fat cells, with lower cholesterol and no change in food intake. A later study in aged mice reported improved muscle stem cell activity and faster muscle regeneration after injury. That is the whole picture. No human safety, pharmacokinetic or efficacy study has been published.
Despite that, 5-Amino-1MQ is widely sold as oral capsules and marketed for fat loss, with dosing numbers that appear to be loose extrapolations from mouse experiments. The oral route itself is an open question, since the animal work used injections and oral absorption has not been characterized. It sits in the category of plausible mechanism, real animal data, and zero human evidence. Anyone taking it is running an uncontrolled experiment on themselves.
How it works
NNMT takes a methyl group from SAM (S-adenosylmethionine) and attaches it to nicotinamide, producing 1-methylnicotinamide. In fat cells this consumes both an NAD+ precursor and the cell's main methyl donor. Blocking the enzyme leaves more nicotinamide available for NAD+ synthesis and raises SAM levels, which together increase cellular energy expenditure and shift adipocytes away from storing lipid. In mouse fat this shows up as smaller adipocytes, higher fatty acid oxidation and less new fat synthesis. The muscle regeneration findings are thought to run through the same NAD+ and methylation changes acting on muscle stem cells. Whether any of this happens at oral doses in humans has not been measured.
What the research shows
- rodentDiet-induced obese mice lost about 5 to 7 percent of body weight and 12 percent of white fat mass over 11 days without eating less.
- rodentFat cell size and plasma cholesterol dropped in treated mice.
- rodentImproved muscle stem cell proliferation and regeneration after injury in aged mice.
- in vitroSelective for NNMT over related methyltransferases in enzyme assays, and membrane permeable in cell studies.
- rodentGenetic knockdown of NNMT protected mice against diet-induced obesity, the finding that motivated inhibitor development.
Evidence labels: rodent and in vitro mean no human data for that finding. Human pilot means small, often uncontrolled. Human RCT means randomized and controlled. Clinical means an approved drug with regulatory data.
No reconstitution needed
5-Amino-1MQ is taken orally as capsules or tablets, so there is no vial to mix and nothing to draw into a syringe. The calculator only applies to injectable lyophilized peptides.
Open the calculator for an injectable peptideDosing and protocol
Community capsules are usually 50 mg, taken one to three times daily. These numbers are not derived from any human study and do not account for oral bioavailability, which is unknown.
4-8 weeks on, then reassess. Long-term effects of NNMT inhibition in people are unknown.
With food. Some people split doses across the day, but there is no data on timing.
Capsules or powder: room temperature, dry, sealed, away from light. Nothing to reconstitute.
Cautions
- ▲Zero human data. No safety study, no dose-finding, no pharmacokinetics.
- ▲NNMT has roles beyond fat, including liver detoxification and producing 1-methylnicotinamide, which appears protective in some contexts. Chronic inhibition is not obviously benign.
- ▲Oral bioavailability is unknown. The mouse studies used injections.
- ▲Capsule purity and actual content vary between vendors; the compound is easy to under-dose or substitute.
- ▲Expect nothing like GLP-1 level results. The mouse effect was 5 to 7 percent over 11 days with no appetite change.
Commonly stacked with
Frequently asked
Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?
No. It is a small quinolinium molecule, roughly the size of caffeine. It is sold by peptide vendors and discussed in peptide communities, but chemically it has nothing in common with peptides and it is taken by mouth as a capsule.
Does it work for fat loss in humans?
Nobody knows. The only efficacy data are from mice, where it produced modest fat loss over a short period. There is no human trial, not even a small one. Reports from users are anecdotal and confounded by whatever else they are doing.
What dose do people take?
50 to 150 mg per day is the common range, usually as 50 mg capsules taken one to three times. That range has no experimental basis in humans and should be understood as vendor convention rather than pharmacology.
Is it safe?
There is no evidence either way. Mice tolerated it for short periods. NNMT is involved in liver metabolism and methylation balance, so long-term inhibition could have effects nobody has looked for. If you use it, keep the duration short and pay attention to liver markers on routine bloodwork.
References
- Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice. Biochemical Pharmacology, 2018
- Small molecule nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibitor activates senescent muscle stem cells and improves regenerative capacity of aged skeletal muscle. Biochemical Pharmacology, 2019
- Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase knockdown protects against diet-induced obesity. Nature, 2014