What is 5-Amino-1MQ?
5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), the cytosolic enzyme that transfers a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to nicotinamide. It is a quinolinium cation, not a peptide, and it came out of a structure-activity study in which methylated quinoliniums inhibited NNMT at concentrations near 1 micromolar (Neelakantan et al., 2017).
Interest in the target followed a mouse study in which knocking down NNMT in fat and liver protected against diet-induced obesity and raised adipose SAM and NAD+ (Kraus et al., 2014). The published work is enzyme, cell culture and rodent research; no human studies appear in PubMed. Disguised Alpha supplies it as a lyophilized powder for laboratory research use only. Nothing on this page is guidance for use in people.
5-Amino-1MQ reference data
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 5-Amino-1MQ |
| Also called | 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, 1-methylquinolin-1-ium-5-amine (PubChem CID 950107); also written 5A1MQ or 5-AMQ |
| Structure | Quinoline ring with an amino group at position 5 and a methyl group on the ring nitrogen, which carries a permanent positive charge |
| Compound class | Small-molecule NNMT inhibitor (methylquinolinium); not a peptide |
| Molecular formula | C₁₀H₁₁N₂⁺ (the cation) |
| Molecular weight | 159.21 g/mol (the cation) |
| CAS number | 685079-15-6 (PubChem CID 950107) |
| Iodide salt, for reference | C₁₀H₁₁IN₂, 286.11 g/mol, CAS 42464-96-0 (PubChem CID 66522933) |
| Form | Lyophilized powder |
| Sizes carried | 10MG, 50MG |
| Testing | Third-party tested, with the certificate for each lot published on the product page and in the COA portal |
Formula, molecular weight, CAS number, form, sizes and storage are from the 5-Amino-1MQ product page, and PubChem gives the same values for the cation (CID 950107). The product page does not name a counterion. The iodide salt is a common research form, and one study in this guide used it (Yang et al., 2024), so confirm the salt form and measured content on your lot's certificate before molar calculations.
What the research covers
Published work on 5-Amino-1MQ falls into six areas. Each summary below states the model used. Most of it comes from one group at the University of Texas Medical Branch and from Ridgeline Therapeutics, a company founded by that group's senior author; several of the later papers disclose that relationship. Independent work is limited to cancer models.
Enzyme inhibition and selectivity
Docking to the nicotinamide pocket of NNMT tracked measured IC50 values across the inhibitor series (Neelakantan et al., 2017), and a follow-up paper carried 5-Amino-1MQ, with an IC50 of about 1.2 micromolar, into selectivity, cell and mouse studies.
It crossed artificial membranes and Caco-2 cell monolayers readily, with no efflux, and at the highest concentrations tested (100 to 600 micromolar, depending on the enzyme) it did not meaningfully inhibit the related methyltransferases DNMT1, PRMT3 and COMT or the NAD+ salvage enzymes NAMPT and SIRT1 (Neelakantan et al., 2018). Models: purified enzyme assays, computational docking and Caco-2 cell culture.
Adipocyte metabolism
In differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, 5-Amino-1MQ lowered intracellular 1-methylnicotinamide, the product of the NNMT reaction, and raised NAD+ about 1.2 to 1.6 fold and SAM; in differentiating cells it reduced lipid accumulation. Viability of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes was unchanged at 10 micromolar, with modest cytotoxicity at 100 to 300 micromolar (Neelakantan et al., 2018). Model: mouse adipocyte cell line.
Diet-induced obese mice
In the same paper, male diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice given the compound for 11 days lost about 5 percent of baseline body weight while controls gained about 1 percent, with no difference in food intake, and epididymal fat mass fell about 35 percent (Neelakantan et al., 2018). A 28-day study in the same model reported smaller gains in body weight and fat mass, better glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and less hepatic steatosis (Babula et al., 2024).
In obese mice switched to a lean diet, adding the inhibitor brought body composition and liver fat to the levels of lean controls faster than the diet switch alone (Sampson et al., 2021) and produced a distinct cecal microbiome pattern (Dimet-Wiley et al., 2022). Model: mouse.
Aged skeletal muscle
In 24-month-old mice with a chemically induced muscle injury, the inhibitor increased muscle stem cell proliferation and fusion, gave nearly twice the myofiber cross-sectional area of controls and raised peak torque by about 70 percent; in C2C12 myoblasts it promoted differentiation (Neelakantan et al., 2019). In mice treated from 22 to 24 months of age, sedentary animals on the inhibitor had about 40 percent greater grip strength than sedentary controls, against about 20 percent for exercise alone and about 60 percent for both combined (Dimet-Wiley et al., 2024). Models: mouse and mouse myoblast cell line.
Cancer cell and tumor models
Outside groups have used it as an NNMT tool compound in oncology. It reduced proliferation of HeLa cervical cancer cells, with lower phospho-Akt and SIRT1 protein and no apparent effect on HEK-293 cells (Akar et al., 2021). In mouse models of urothelial bladder cancer, the iodide salt reduced tumor growth and enhanced the effect of an anti-PD-L1 antibody, in a study linking NNMT in cancer-associated fibroblasts to immunotherapy resistance (Yang et al., 2024).
In osteosarcoma and Merkel cell carcinoma lines it was one of three NNMT inhibitors that lowered viability, raised reactive oxygen species and activated apoptotic pathways (Pompei et al., 2025). Models: human cancer cell lines and mouse tumor models.
Measurement and pharmacokinetics
A validated LC-MS/MS method quantifies the compound in rat plasma and urine from 10 to 2,500 ng/mL by monitoring the intact cation at m/z 159.1. Applied to a rat pharmacokinetic study, it gave terminal half-lives of roughly 4 to 7 hours depending on the route compared (Awosemo et al., 2021). Model: rat.
Key studies
- Neelakantan H, et al. "Structure-Activity Relationship for Small Molecule Inhibitors of Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase." J Med Chem. 2017. PMID 28548833. DOI 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00389. Enzyme assays and docking: the quinolinium series.
- Neelakantan H, et al. "Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice." Biochem Pharmacol. 2018. PMID 29155147. DOI 10.1016/j.bcp.2017.11.007. Permeability, selectivity panel, 3T3-L1 adipocytes and diet-induced obese mice.
- Neelakantan H, et al. "Small molecule nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibitor activates senescent muscle stem cells and improves regenerative capacity of aged skeletal muscle." Biochem Pharmacol. 2019. PMID 30753815. DOI 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.02.008. Aged mice after muscle injury, plus C2C12 myoblasts.
- Sampson CM, et al. Sci Rep. 2021. PMID 33707534. DOI 10.1038/s41598-021-85051-6. Diet-induced obese mice switched to a lean diet, with adipose metabolomics.
- Awosemo O, et al. "Development & validation of LC-MS/MS assay for 5-amino-1-methyl quinolinium in rat plasma: Application to pharmacokinetic and oral bioavailability studies." J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2021. PMID 34304009. DOI 10.1016/j.jpba.2021.114255. Analytical method and rat pharmacokinetics.
- Dimet-Wiley AL, et al. "Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition mimics and boosts exercise-mediated improvements in muscle function in aged mice." Sci Rep. 2024. PMID 38969654. DOI 10.1038/s41598-024-66034-9. Aged mice with and without exercise, with proteomics and metabolomics.
- Babula JJ, et al. "Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition mitigates obesity-related metabolic dysfunction." Diabetes Obes Metab. 2024. PMID 39161060. DOI 10.1111/dom.15879. 28-day diet-induced obese mouse study with plasma and tissue pharmacokinetics.
Handling and storage of 5-Amino-1MQ
General laboratory practice for this material:
- Store the lyophilized powder at -20°C, protected from light, until use (storage guidance on the product page).
- Let the sealed vial reach room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense on the powder.
- Dissolve it in a solvent or buffer suited to the assay.
- After reconstitution, keep solutions at 2 to 8°C and protected from light, and split stock into single-use aliquots to avoid freeze/thaw cycles.
- Work out molarity from the form named on your certificate: the cation is 159.21 g/mol and the iodide salt is 286.11 g/mol, so the same label mass gives different molar amounts.
- Judge the material by its certificate, not its color; the product page notes the powder may look red or reddish.
Frequently asked questions
What is 5-Amino-1MQ?
5-Amino-1MQ is 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, a small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), the enzyme that methylates nicotinamide using SAM. In adipocytes it lowered the reaction product 1-methylnicotinamide and raised NAD+ and SAM (Neelakantan et al., 2018).
Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?
No. It is a small organic molecule, a methylated aminoquinoline, and it contains no amino acids or peptide bonds. The "amino" in its name refers to the amino group (NH2) at position 5 of the quinoline ring, and "1MQ" stands for 1-methylquinolinium. It is sold alongside research peptides, but chemically it is a small-molecule enzyme inhibitor.
Has 5-Amino-1MQ been studied in people?
No human studies of 5-Amino-1MQ appear in PubMed, and it is not an approved drug. Disguised Alpha sells it strictly for laboratory research.
5-Amino-1MQ vs MOTS-c: what is the difference?
They are unrelated in structure and mechanism. 5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule NNMT inhibitor of 159.21 g/mol; MOTS-c is a 16-residue mitochondrial-derived peptide of about 2174.6 g/mol. Our MOTS-c vs 5-Amino-1MQ comparison sets the two side by side, and the MOTS-c research guide covers the peptide.
Which molecular weight should be used for 5-Amino-1MQ?
Use the form named on your lot's certificate. The product page and PubChem give 159.21 g/mol for the cation (C₁₀H₁₁N₂⁺, CAS 685079-15-6); the iodide salt is 286.11 g/mol (C₁₀H₁₁IN₂, CAS 42464-96-0).
How should 5-Amino-1MQ powder be stored?
Keep the lyophilized powder at -20°C and protected from light. After reconstitution, store the solution at 2 to 8°C, protected from light, and avoid freeze/thaw cycles, as listed on the product page.
Where can researchers buy 5-Amino-1MQ?
Disguised Alpha sells it for laboratory research in 10MG and 50MG sizes, third-party tested with the certificate published on the product page: 5-Amino-1MQ. A capsule format is listed separately as Capsulated 5-Amino-1MQ.
Related compounds and guides
- MOTS-c vs 5-Amino-1MQ: research comparison
- MOTS-c research guide
- MitoPrime (NAD+ / MOTs-C / 5-Amino-1MQ) and its research guide
- SS-31 & 5-Amino-1MQ and the SS-31 research guide
- NAD+ research guide
- Capsulated 5-Amino-1MQ and High Dose 5-Amino-1MQ (50MG/ML)
- COA portal: every published certificate, by lot
This product is for research use only. It has not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness in humans. Not for human consumption. All products are intended for laboratory research purposes only.