Peptide profile · Weight Management
5-Amino-1MQ
A small-molecule NNMT inhibitor studied in animals for fat loss and NAD+ metabolism.
Written by Michael Carroll — Owner, Director of Research · Reviewed by the Peptide Initiative Research Team
Suggested dose
50 – 150 mg/day
Half-life
Not established in humans; preclinical rodent data suggest a few hours (compound is membrane-permeable and orally active)
Bioavailability
Orally bioavailable in animal studies (high membrane permeability shown by PAMPA and Caco-2 assays); human data not established
Molecular weight
159.21 g/mol (cation); 286.11 g/mol (iodide salt)
Evidence level
Preclinical only
01 · Compound profile
Scientific & efficacy data
Molecular formula
C10H11N2+ (cation); commonly supplied as the iodide salt (C10H11IN2)
Primary benefits
The strongest animal finding, with its numbers: in 9 diet-induced obese mice treated for 11 days, epididymal white adipose mass fell about 35% (p<0.001) and adipocyte size by more than 30% (p<0.05) against 9 controls, while body weight fell 5.1% in treated mice as controls gained 1.4% [1]. Food intake did not differ between the groups, so the effect was metabolic rather than appetite-driven [1]. Mice, 11 days, nine animals — strong for what it is, and unproven in humans.
Total plasma cholesterol was about 30% lower in treated mice than controls (p<0.05), bringing it in line with the vendor's figures for age-matched normal-chow mice [1]. A second mouse study reported improvements in insulin, glucose tolerance, triglycerides and liver fat [2]. No human measurement of any of these exists for this compound.
The mechanism is well characterised in cells: blocking NNMT cuts production of 1-MNA and raises intracellular NAD+ and SAM, with an EC50 of 2.3 ± 1.1 µM in cultured adipocytes [1]. It is selective — no inhibition of DNMT1, PRMT3, NAMPT or SIRT1 at tested concentrations [1]. That the mechanism works in a dish is not the same as a benefit in a person.
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and University of Texas at San Antonio
Amino acid sequence
Not applicable — 5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule NNMT inhibitor (a methylquinolinium compound), not a peptide.02 · Dosing
How much do I take?
50 – 150 mg/day (community-reported, no trial) · once daily, per community protocols
Covers timing · dose-adjustment guidance.
03 · Suitability
Is this right for me?
Best for fat loss (research context) & metabolic health support
Best for
Fat loss research
The clearest, most repeated finding: obese mice lost body weight and fat mass on 5-Amino-1MQ without eating less [1][2]. This is the main reason people are interested — though it is animal data, not human proof.
Consider alternatives if
Do not use if
Use with caution if
Not sure?
Compare 5-Amino-1MQ with similar peptides to find the best fit for your goals.
04 · Administration
How do I use it?
Subcutaneous injection · Oral capsule
Covers reconstitution · step-by-step technique · storage.
05 · Safety
Is it safe?
2 common side effects · 2 serious
The honest picture: nobody has run a human safety trial on 5-Amino-1MQ, so everything below is from mice and cultured cells. In the 11-day mouse study, 9 treated animals lost 2.0 ± 0.6 g of body weight (about 5.1% from baseline) while 9 controls gained 0.6 ± 0.4 g, with no difference in food intake and no observable adverse effects reported [1]. The tolerability ceiling people quote comes from a dose-escalation study spanning 10 to 150 mg/kg/day in TWO mice, where 60 mg/kg/day produced no observable adverse effects [1] — a denominator worth seeing before treating it as a safety margin. In cultured pre-adipocytes the compound is cytotoxic at high concentration: no effect on viability at 10 µM, modest cytotoxicity from 100 to 300 µM, and roughly 40% loss of viability at 600 µM [1]. Lab screening also found off-target inhibition of monoamine oxidase-A at higher concentrations [2]. Short studies in mice cannot rule out problems that appear over months or years in people. Treat this as an experimental compound and talk to a doctor first, particularly if you take any medication.
All safety information is preclinical. The absence of human data here was checked rather than assumed: PubMed has no record under "5-amino-1MQ" and no clinical study of any NNMT inhibitor in people, ClinicalTrials.gov has no registered study of either the compound or the target, and no company has announced a clinical programme. The EU and WHO trial registries were not searched directly, so a trial registered only outside the US cannot be ruled out. The main mouse study gave 20 mg/kg per subcutaneous injection three times daily — about 34 mg/kg/day — to 9 diet-induced obese mice for 11 days, against 9 saline controls [1]; a second used 10-32 mg/kg once daily for about a month [2]. Those are animal doses and do not convert to human milligram doses. Note one discrepancy worth knowing if you read around: secondary write-ups describe the mouse study as drinking-water dosing at about 40 mg/kg/day. The primary paper, read in full, describes subcutaneous injection at 20 mg/kg three times daily [1]. On selectivity, the compound did not inhibit DNMT1, PRMT3, NAMPT or SIRT1 at tested concentrations, and inhibited COMT only 10% at 600 µM [1] — a clean NNMT inhibitor at relevant concentrations, with the MAO-A signal appearing at higher ones [2]. Human pharmacokinetics, long-term safety and an effective human dose are all unknown. Note also that this is a small molecule, not a peptide — it is catalogued here because people ask about it alongside peptides.
Common side effects · experienced by some users
Less common
These typically resolve with continued use or dose adjustment.
Stop and seek help if
- ×Any severe or unexpected symptom
- ×Signs of a reaction to MAO-A effects such as severe headache, racing heart, or spiking blood pressure [2]
- ×Persistent nausea, headache, or fatigue
- ×You start a medication affected by MAO-A
- ×You become pregnant or are breastfeeding
This is an experimental research compound with no human safety data. This information is educational and not medical advice. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider before using it and before stopping any prescribed medication.
With other peptides
With medications
- !MAO inhibitors — Avoid. The compound inhibited monoamine oxidase-A in lab screening, so combining could compound MAO-blocking effects [2]
- !SSRIs / serotonergic drugs — Use caution due to theoretical off-target MAO-A activity [2]
- !Drugs metabolized via MAO pathways — Discuss with a doctor before combining
06 · Effectiveness
How do I know it's working?
Preclinical only · first signs weeks 1-2
Evidence level
Preclinical only
(animal and lab studies; no human trials)
How it works
Imagine your fat cells have a drain that slowly lets out the fuel they need to burn energy. That drain is an enzyme called NNMT. 5-Amino-1MQ plugs the drain. With the drain plugged, the cell keeps more fuel (NAD+) and burns fat instead of storing it [1]. In mice, this led to less body fat and smaller fat cells [1].
NNMT (nicotinamide N-methyltransferase) transfers a methyl group from SAM (S-adenosylmethionine) onto nicotinamide, producing 1-methylnicotinamide (1-MNA) and SAH (S-adenosylhomocysteine). This single reaction pulls from two systems at once: it consumes nicotinamide, a building block your cells recycle into NAD+ through the salvage pathway, and it burns through SAM, the cell's main methyl-group currency [4]. When NNMT runs fast in fat tissue, NAD+ and SAM stay low and energy expenditure drops. 5-Amino-1MQ is a nicotinamide look-alike that competitively binds NNMT's active site, so the enzyme cannot process its normal target [4]. In cultured fat cells this lowered 1-MNA and raised both NAD+ and SAM, which suppressed the building of new fat [1]. Importantly, the methylquinolinium scaffold is highly selective — it does not block related SAM-dependent methyltransferases or the NAD+ salvage enzymes — and it crosses cell membranes well, which is unusual for this class [1]. One caveat from later work: at higher lab concentrations the compound also inhibited monoamine oxidase-A, an off-target effect worth watching [2].
What to expect
Weeks 1-2
What you might notice
- •Likely nothing obvious
- •In mice, changes built up gradually rather than overnight [1]
- •No human timeline has been studied
What's normal
- •Feeling no different early on is expected
- •This is not a fast-acting stimulant
What's next
- →Focus on tolerating the compound and watching for any side effects
Weeks 3-6
What you might notice
What's normal
- •Slow, steady change (if any) rather than dramatic shifts
- •Any effect in humans is unproven
What's next
- →Reassess how you feel and whether to continue
- →Keep diet and activity consistent so you can judge honestly
Weeks 7-12
What you might notice
- •This is where longer animal studies showed the fullest effects on fat mass and metabolic markers [2]
- •Human results at this stage are unknown
What's normal
- •A full cycle in community protocols runs roughly 8-12 weeks
What's next
- →Take a break and reassess
- →There is no evidence on safe long-term continuous use in humans
Signs it's working · Physical Response Indicators
Signs it's working · Subjective Changes
- ✓Community users report a sense of steadier energy (anecdotal, not verified)
- ✓No validated subjective markers exist for this compound in humans
Not seeing results? Common reasons
- •Expecting fast results — animal changes were gradual over weeks [1]
- •No human dose is established, so a chosen dose may simply be too low or ineffective
- •Diet and activity not held steady, making any effect impossible to judge
- •Product quality varies widely for research compounds; purity is not guaranteed
- •The compound may simply not work the same way in humans as in mice
Key research
08 · Questions
Frequently asked
Is 5-Amino-1MQ actually a peptide?+
No. Despite being sold alongside peptides, 5-Amino-1MQ is a small chemical molecule (a methylquinolinium compound), not a peptide made of amino acids. It works by blocking an enzyme called NNMT [4].
Has 5-Amino-1MQ been tested in humans?+
No. Every published study is in mice or lab dishes [1][2][3]. There are no human clinical trials, so its effects and safety in people are unknown.
How does it help with fat loss?+
In fat cells, an enzyme called NNMT wastes molecules (NAD+ and SAM) your cells use to burn energy. 5-Amino-1MQ blocks NNMT, so cells keep more of that fuel and lean toward burning fat instead of storing it. In obese mice this led to less body fat without the animals eating less [1].
What dose do people use?+
There is no proven human dose. Community protocols commonly cite 50-150 mg per day by mouth, but that is not backed by any human study. Animal studies used 10-32 mg/kg by injection, which does not convert directly to a human pill dose [1][2].
Are there any safety concerns?+
The biggest concern is simply that human safety is unknown. Lab screening also found it can block monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) at higher concentrations, so it should not be combined with MAO inhibitors and should be used cautiously with serotonergic drugs or tyramine-rich foods [2]. Talk to a doctor first.