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5-Amino-1MQ: Research Overview

What is 5-Amino-1MQ? 5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) — it is not a peptide. A membrane-permeable quinolinium compound, it is studied in cellular metabolism research, where NNMT inhibition intersects with the NAD+ salvage pathway. It is sold strictly for laboratory research use.
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Technical profile

Compound5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium)
ClassSmall-molecule NNMT inhibitor; membrane-permeable quinolinium compound — not a peptide
TargetNicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), a cytosolic methyltransferase that consumes nicotinamide, a precursor in the NAD+ salvage pathway
Molecular weight~159 g/mol (approximate, free cation; salt forms weigh more)
Form suppliedPowder, sealed vial
StoragePowder: cool, dry place, protected from moisture and light, per lab protocol
VerificationIndependent LC-MS/MS COA for verified batches — identity, purity, content, impurities & residual solvents; see the registry

What does the research literature cover?

5-Amino-1MQ entered the literature as a tool compound for probing NNMT biology. Published preclinical work — cell-culture and rodent models — has examined it in the context of:

Important context: the published evidence base is preclinical (cell and animal models). 5-Amino-1MQ has no approved human use in any jurisdiction, and human clinical trial data are lacking. Summaries here describe what researchers have studied — they are not claims about effects in humans.

Why purity matters for 5-Amino-1MQ research

Enzyme-inhibition research results are only as reliable as the material in the vial. Synthesis by-products or degradation impurities confound assay readouts and dose-response curves. VP Peptides publishes independent third-party batch documentation on its verification registry; verified batches carry a report from Sonic Laboratories (LC-MS/MS: identity and purity).

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Frequently asked questions

Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?

No. 5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule quinolinium compound, not a chain of amino acids. It is grouped with research peptides commercially because it is studied in adjacent cellular-metabolism research, but chemically it is a small-molecule enzyme inhibitor.

Is 5-Amino-1MQ approved for human use?

No. 5-Amino-1MQ is not approved by the FDA or any other regulatory agency for human use. It is supplied strictly as a research chemical for in-vitro and laboratory investigation. It is not a drug, supplement, or food ingredient.

How does 5-Amino-1MQ relate to NAD+ research?

NNMT, the enzyme 5-Amino-1MQ inhibits, methylates nicotinamide — a precursor in the NAD+ salvage pathway. Researchers therefore study NNMT inhibition alongside NAD+ biology to examine how nicotinamide availability and related metabolite pools shift in cellular models.

How should 5-Amino-1MQ be stored in the lab?

Store the powder in a cool, dry place, protected from moisture and light. Solutions should be prepared and used according to your laboratory's protocol.

NNMT inhibition in metabolic models

5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule, non-peptide compound studied as a membrane-permeable inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). Interest in this enzyme as a metabolic research target predates the inhibitor itself: an influential 2014 study reported that antisense knockdown of NNMT in adipose tissue and liver protected mice from diet-induced obesity, a genetic observation that framed NNMT as a candidate node in energy metabolism. Because NNMT consumes both nicotinamide (a precursor in the NAD⁺ salvage pathway) and the universal methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine, its activity has been examined for links between methylation flux, NAD⁺ pools, and cellular energetics.

Work with 5-Amino-1MQ has built on that background in cell-culture and rodent systems. In differentiating pre-adipocyte cultures, the inhibitor was reported to reduce lipid accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner, and diet-induced-obese mouse studies have paired the compound with dietary interventions to probe changes in body weight, adiposity and the gut microbiome. These reports are exploratory pharmacology intended to characterize what NNMT inhibition does at the level of cells and animal models, not evidence of any effect in people.

Two points bear emphasis. First, this literature is entirely preclinical — in-vitro and animal work — and 5-Amino-1MQ is not an approved drug or supplement in any jurisdiction; it has not been the subject of established human clinical use. Second, unlike most compounds in this catalog it is a small organic molecule rather than a peptide. The summaries here describe published preclinical research and are not statements about safety or efficacy in humans.

Selected research references

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Research use only. All products described on this page are furnished for laboratory research purposes only and are not for human or veterinary use, not for use in food or cosmetics, and not for any diagnostic or therapeutic application. Nothing on this page is medical advice or a claim of safety or efficacy in humans. Research summaries reference publicly available preclinical literature; specific citations are listed in the references above.