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.
Reviewed by the amino101 editorial team. , first published .
Quick start
What people commonly do. Not a prescription.- Typical dose
- 5 to 25 mg subcutaneous, or 50 to 150 mg oral
- How often
- once daily
- Where
- Subcutaneous, belly or thigh, rotate sites. Capsules by mouth with or without food.
- Timing
- with meals, spread across the day if taking more than one dose
- Effects timeline
- no human data; mouse fat loss appeared over 11 days, and any human effect would be subtle over 4 to 8 weeks
- Storage
- fridge 2 to 8 C once mixed, use within 4 weeks
- Cycle length
- 4 to 8 weeks
- Break between
- 4 weeks, and honestly reassess whether anything measurable changed
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.
Where the research stands
Fat loss without appetite suppressionEmerging
- Diet-induced obesity. Mouse study, about 5 to 7 percent body weight and 12 percent white fat lost over 11 days with no change in food intake.
- Fat cell size and cholesterol. Same rodent work, smaller adipocytes and lower plasma cholesterol in treated mice.
Muscle regeneration in agingWeak or mixed
- Muscle stem cell activation. Aged mouse study showed improved satellite cell proliferation and recovery after injury; no human follow-up.
NNMT-driven cancersWeak or mixed
- Osteosarcoma and other NNMT-high tumors. Cell culture only, NNMT inhibitors slowed growth of some cancer lines; nothing in animals or people.
- 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.
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.
Levels over time
Modeled from the half-life. Illustrative, not measured.A half-life of 2 h against dosing every 24 h means each dose has cleared before the next. Nothing stacks; you start from zero every time, and the tissue effect is what carries over.
The short rodent half-life is the only reason community protocols split it into two or three daily doses; nobody knows how much of an oral capsule is actually absorbed in people, and the mouse studies used injections.
5-Amino-1MQ dosage and protocols
Community protocols run 4 to 8 weeks then stop, mostly because long-term NNMT inhibition in people has never been studied and the enzyme has roles beyond fat. There is no loading or tapering; people simply start at 50 mg once daily and add doses if nothing happens.
| Goal | Dose | Frequency | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injectable, common start | 5 to 10 mg | once daily | Subcutaneous |
| Injectable, upper range | up to 25 mg | once daily | Subcutaneous |
| Oral capsules | 50 to 150 mg | once to three times daily | Oral |
Taken with meals, split morning and evening when dosing twice. There is no evidence for timing around training or sleep. Some people pair it with an NAD+ precursor in the same window on the theory that NNMT inhibition spares nicotinamide, which is untested.
Injectable use, subcutaneous, once daily. Oral capsules are usually 50 to 150 mg daily. Neither number comes from a human study; the rodent work used injection.
Dose calculator
U-100 insulin syringeUnits are a volume on the syringe, not an amount of peptide. Concentration changes every time you change the water volume. The standalone calculator explains the math.
| Vial | Suggested water | Concentration | Low dose draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 mg | 2 mL | 25 mg/mL | 20 units |
How to reconstitute 5-Amino-1MQ
- 1
Wash your hands and wipe the work surface. Swab both vial stoppers with alcohol and let them dry.
- 2
Pick the water volume with the calculator above and write it on the vial. The concentration means nothing without it.
- 3
Draw the bacteriostatic water into a mixing syringe.
- 4
Insert at an angle and let the water run down the inside wall. Never squirt it straight onto the powder.
- 5
Swirl gently or leave it to dissolve. Do not shake.
- 6
Label with the date and water volume. Store in the fridge at 2 to 8 C and use within about 4 weeks.
- 7
Unmixed vials keep for months in the fridge and longer in the freezer, sealed and out of light.
- Full walkthrough with syringe reading and site rotation: reconstitution guide.
- ✓White, fluffy cake
Lyophilized powder should look like a small white puck or fluffy cake at the bottom of the vial. That is a proper freeze-dry.
- ✓Clear after mixing
Once dissolved the solution should be water-clear with nothing floating in it.
- !Slight clumping
Small clumps that dissolve with gentle swirling are fine. Shipping compacts powder.
- ✕Collapsed or melted
Powder stuck to the sides, glassy, or shrunken means it got hot in transit. Contact the vendor.
- ✕Cloudy or particles
Persistent cloudiness or visible particles after mixing means degraded or contaminated product. Do not use it.
- Week 1 to 2
Nothing noticeable for most people. Occasional reports of mild stomach upset or headache.
- Week 2 to 8
If it does anything in humans, a small change in body composition without any change in hunger; most people report no obvious effect.
Interactions and stacking
NAD+compatible
NNMT consumes nicotinamide, so blocking it may raise NAD+ precursor availability; a logical pairing with no data.
Semaglutidecompatible
Entirely different mechanism, appetite versus fat cell metabolism, so no expected conflict; no combined data.
SLU-PP-332compatible
Both are untested small molecules marketed for fat loss; stacking two unknowns makes it impossible to tell which one caused any side effect.
High-dose niacin or nicotinamidecaution
NNMT is one of the main ways the body clears excess nicotinamide, so blocking it while megadosing the substrate is a theoretical problem with no data either way.
Liver-metabolized drugscaution
NNMT has roles in liver detoxification pathways, and nobody has studied what inhibiting it does to drug clearance in humans.
Safety
- ▲No human safety data exist, so this list is anecdotal
- ▲Mild stomach upset or nausea with capsules
- ▲Headache
- ▲Nothing adverse was documented in mice at study doses, which says little about people
- ▲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.
- ■Any liver-related symptom: right-sided abdominal pain, dark urine, yellowing skin or eyes
- ■Any unexpected reaction, since there is no safety data to compare against
- ■No measurable change after 8 weeks; there is no reason to keep taking an untested compound that is not doing anything
- ■You cannot verify what is actually in the capsules
Community poll
Self-reported by visitors. Not clinical evidence.5-Amino-1MQ: 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