Reviewed & approved by Dr. Nova Reyes · Last checked 2026-10-24. ← Back to Evidence Library

5-Amino-1MQ

5-amino-1-methylquinolin-1-ium · 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide/chloride · 5A1MQ · NNMTi · nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibitor

Status: Approved for Adam Greene by Dr. Nova Reyes, 2026-10-24

Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source

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1. What it is and what people claim it does

Despite being sold alongside injectable peptides on research-chemical websites, 5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is not a peptide at all. It is a low-molecular-weight synthetic quinolinium salt (molecular weight ~159 Da for the cation, ~286 Da as the iodide salt) identified in 2017 by Harshini Neelakantan, Stanley Watowich, and colleagues at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston during a medicinal-chemistry screen for inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). ^R1

NNMT is a cytoplasmic enzyme (working inside the main fluid of the cell) that transfers a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) onto nicotinamide (a form of vitamin B3 and a direct precursor in the salvage pathway that makes NAD+), producing 1-methylnicotinamide (1-MNA) so the methylated nicotinamide can be excreted in urine. Because NNMT expression is elevated in white fat tissue during obesity and in aging skeletal muscle, the UTMB team—and their spin-out company, Ridgeline Therapeutics—hypothesized that blocking NNMT with 5-Amino-1MQ would preserve intracellular nicotinamide and NAD+ salvage, shift fat cells toward higher energy expenditure, and reactivate senescent muscle stem cells (satellite cells). ^R1–R3

On gray-market peptide sites and telehealth longevity menus, 5-Amino-1MQ is sold as red-orange powder in oral capsules or lyophilized (freeze-dried) vials for subcutaneous (under-the-skin) injection, marketed as a "non-stimulant fat burner," "NAD+ salvage booster," and "exercise mimetic."

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2. What the human evidence actually shows

The Open Peptide Project's reading: No human data (animal/lab only) for every claimed use.

Indication	Route studied	Evidence rating	Summary of human studies
Weight loss, fat loss, and metabolic dysfunction / fatty liver	Oral capsules or subcutaneous injection	No human data	Zero human clinical trials found on PubMed or ClinicalTrials.gov (checked Oct 24, 2026). All evidence comes from diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. R2, R4, R6, R8
Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), grip strength, and exercise performance	Oral capsules or subcutaneous injection	No human data	Zero human clinical trials found. All evidence comes from aged (22- to 24-month-old) mice and injured mouse muscle models. R3, R7
Cancer or kidney fibrosis	Cell culture & mouse models	No human data	Animal/lab only: Tested in HeLa cervical cancer cells in a dish R9 and in mouse/organoid models of early kidney fibrosis R10.

Why 5-Amino-1MQ is rated No human data across the board

A comprehensive search of PubMed, Europe PMC, and ClinicalTrials.gov as of October 24, 2026 turns up zero human clinical trials—not even a Phase 1 healthy-volunteer safety or pharmacokinetic study—of 5-Amino-1MQ by any route.

Everything marketed to consumers rests on preclinical mouse, rat, and cell-culture studies, almost all authored by the UTMB / Ridgeline Therapeutics inventor group:

• Obesity and fatty-liver mouse models (Neelakantan et al., 2018; Sampson et al., 2021; Dimet-Wiley et al., 2022; Babula et al., 2024):
• In the foundational 2018 Biochemical Pharmacology study, injecting diet-induced obese (DIO) mice subcutaneously with 5-Amino-1MQ reduced body weight and white fat mass, shrank fat-cell size, and lowered total plasma cholesterol without reducing food intake. ^R2
• Follow-up UTMB studies in 2021 and 2022 reported that combining 5-Amino-1MQ injections with switching obese mice from a high-fat Western diet to a lean diet normalized body composition, reduced liver fat (hepatic steatosis), and shifted gut-microbiome composition faster than diet change alone. ^{R4, R6}
• A 2024 Ridgeline Therapeutics study (Babula et al., Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism) tested daily 5-Amino-1MQ in DIO mice and compared intravenous, oral, and subcutaneous pharmacokinetics in mice, reporting reduced weight and fat gain, improved oral glucose tolerance, lower liver triglycerides and liver enzymes (transaminases ALT and AST), and high tissue distribution to fat, muscle, and liver after subcutaneous dosing in mice. ^R8
• Aged mouse muscle and exercise models (Neelakantan et al., 2019; Dimet-Wiley et al., 2024):
• In aged (24-month-old) mice given barium chloride muscle injury, 5-Amino-1MQ activated senescent muscle stem cells (muSCs), increased regenerating myofiber cross-sectional area, and increased contractile force in the injured mouse muscle. ^R3
• In a 2024 study treating mice from 22 to 24 months of age with 5-Amino-1MQ, intensive treadmill exercise, or both, sedentary aged mice given 5-Amino-1MQ had ~40% higher grip strength than untreated sedentary controls, and combining 5-Amino-1MQ with exercise produced a ~60% grip-strength increase in mice. ^R7
• Rat pharmacokinetics (Awosemo et al., 2021):
• A 2021 analytical and pharmacokinetic study in rats validated an LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry) blood and urine test for 5-Amino-1MQ and measured its oral bioavailability and plasma clearance in rats—underscoring that the compound was still in preclinical rodent pharmacokinetic characterization. ^R5

Study details — click to expand preclinical study rows (no human studies exist; rodent/cell models shown for context)

Study (Year)	Model & Population	Route, Dose & Schedule	Key Reported Findings	Safety / Limitations	Funding & Disclosures
Neelakantan et al. (2018) R2	Preclinical (mice & cells): Diet-induced obese (DIO) C57BL/6 mice and 3T3-L1 adipocytes; 0 humans	Subcutaneous (mice): 20 mg/kg SC three times daily (or up to 20 mg/kg/day) for 11 days in DIO mice on high-fat diet	Selective membrane-permeable NNMT inhibition (IC50 ~ 1.2 µM); increased intracellular NAD+ and SAM in adipocytes; reduced mouse body weight (~5%), white adipose mass (>35%), adipocyte size, and plasma cholesterol without suppressing food intake.	Mouse study only; short 11-day treatment window.	UTMB Galveston; inventors hold patents on quinolinium NNMT inhibitors (Neelakantan & Watowich).
Neelakantan et al. (2019) R3	Preclinical (aged mice): Aged (24-month-old) C57BL/6 mice undergoing BaCl2 tibialis anterior muscle injury; 0 humans	Subcutaneous (mice): 5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg SC daily for 1 week prior to and 3 weeks after muscle injury	Increased proliferating muscle stem cells (muSCs), larger regenerating myofiber cross-sectional area, and higher peak contractile torque in injured aged mouse muscle.	Mouse injury model only; does not test uninjured human muscle.	UTMB Galveston; authors affiliated with Ridgeline Therapeutics.
Sampson et al. (2021) & Dimet-Wiley et al. (2022) R4, R6	Preclinical (obese mice): DIO mice switched from high-fat Western diet to lean diet ± 5-Amino-1MQ; 0 humans	Subcutaneous (mice): 10 mg/kg SC daily combined with lean diet switch for 2 to 3 weeks	Accelerated fat loss and normalization of liver weight, hepatic steatosis, and cecal microbiome profile compared with lean diet switch alone in mice.	Mouse model only; effect evaluated alongside abrupt chow substitution.	UTMB Galveston / Ridgeline Therapeutics.
Awosemo et al. (2021) R5	Preclinical (rats): Adult Sprague-Dawley rats for LC-MS/MS assay validation and PK; 0 humans	IV and Oral (rats): Single IV (2 mg/kg) and oral (10 mg/kg) doses in rats	Validated rat plasma/urine LC-MS/MS assay (5–1,000 ng/mL); characterized rat plasma clearance and oral bioavailability.	Rat pharmacokinetic study only; no human PK data.	Texas Southern University & UTMB Galveston (Neelakantan & Watowich co-authors).
Dimet-Wiley et al. (2024) R7	Preclinical (aged mice): Aged C57BL/6 mice treated from 22 to 24 months of age ± exercise; 0 humans	Subcutaneous (mice): Daily SC NNMTi dosing for 8 weeks alone or combined with progressive treadmill training	Aged sedentary mice on NNMTi had ~40% higher grip strength vs vehicle controls; combined NNMTi + exercise yielded ~60% higher grip strength and larger gastrocnemius fiber cross-sectional area.	Mouse study only; authored by Ridgeline Therapeutics employees/founders.	Funded by and conducted at Ridgeline Therapeutics (Houston, TX).
Babula et al. (2024) R8	Preclinical (obese mice): DIO mice treated for 28 days + mouse IV, PO, and SC pharmacokinetic arms; 0 humans	Subcutaneous / Oral / IV (mice): Once-daily 5A1MQ for 28 days in DIO mice	Dose-dependent reduction in weight/fat gain, improved oral glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, reduced hepatic steatosis/macrophage infiltration and serum ALT/AST; high tissue exposure in fat, muscle, and liver after SC dosing in mice.	Mouse study only; no human clinical trial data.	Funded by and conducted at Ridgeline Therapeutics (Houston, TX).

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3. Known risks, side effects, and long-term unknowns

• Complete absence of human safety data: Because no Phase 1 trial has been published, nobody knows the safe dose range, half-life, oral bioavailability, liver/kidney toxicity profile, or drug-interaction profile of 5-Amino-1MQ in humans.
• Hidden iodide load in gray-market capsules: Most gray-market 5-Amino-1MQ is synthesized and sold as the iodide salt (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide), where iodide makes up roughly 44% of the salt's molecular weight. Taking unverified multi-milligram oral capsules every day can deliver tens to hundreds of times the normal daily dietary iodine allowance, risking iodine-induced hypothyroidism (the Wolff-Chaikoff effect) or hyperthyroidism (the Jod-Basedow phenomenon) in people with underlying thyroid nodules or autoimmune thyroiditis.
• Role of NNMT in liver drug metabolism and methylation balance: In the human liver, NNMT participates in methylating nicotinamide and other pyridine compounds and interacts with the SAM / S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) methylation cycle. The effects of chronically blocking hepatic NNMT in humans taking other prescription drugs—or in people with liver disease—have never been studied.
• Injection-site and sterility hazards: Subcutaneous vials of 5-Amino-1MQ sold online are non-sterile research chemicals; quaternary quinolinium salts can be locally irritating to subcutaneous tissue, and unverified vials carry standard risks of bacterial endotoxin and synthesis solvent residues.

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4. Regulatory and compounding status

Jurisdiction / Body	Current Status	Details
United States (FDA — Drugs & Dietary Supplements)	Not an approved drug or lawful dietary ingredient	5-Amino-1MQ has no FDA drug approval (checked via openFDA Drugs@FDA Oct 24, 2026) R11, and as a synthetic quinolinium small molecule it is not a vitamin, mineral, herb, amino acid, or lawful dietary supplement ingredient under DSHEA (the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act).
United States (FDA — 503A / 503B Compounding)	Not on 503A or 503B Lists (cannot be legally compounded)	5-Amino-1MQ does not appear in Category 1 (or any category) of the FDA 503A Bulk Drug Substances List (updated May 14, 2026) or the 503B Bulk Drug Substances List (updated Mar 21, 2025), has no USP/NF drug monograph, and is not a component of any FDA-approved drug. US compounding pharmacies have no legal basis to compound it for human prescriptions. R12, R13
European Union & United Kingdom (EMA / MHRA)	Not approved anywhere	No marketing authorization or orphan designation exists in the EU or UK.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA 2026)	Not named on the 2026 Prohibited List; Section S0 applies	5-Amino-1MQ is not named in the 2026 Prohibited List index. The Open Peptide Project's reading (not a WADA ruling): Because it is a pharmacological substance with no current approval by any governmental health authority for human therapeutic use, it falls under Section S0 (Non-Approved Substances), which is prohibited at all times. Athletes should check with their anti-doping organization. R14

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5. Quality, contamination, and gray-market risks

1. Misclassification as a "peptide" and counter-ion confusion: Vendors routinely list 5-Amino-1MQ in their peptide catalogs even though it is a synthetic small-molecule quinolinium salt. Some batches are sold as the iodide salt (typically a brick-red or orange-red crystalline powder) and others as the chloride salt without clearly stating the counter-ion weight fraction or inorganic halide content on the label.
2. Quinoline synthesis precursors and methylating-agent residues: 5-Amino-1MQ is typically synthesized by methylating 5-aminoquinoline with methyl iodide (iodomethane). Poorly purified gray-market batches can retain unreacted 5-aminoquinoline or residual alkylating impurities—hazards that simple HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) purity percentages may miss if reference standards are not run alongside mass spectrometry and counter-ion analysis.
3. Blind retail testing: We test retail vials and capsules blind under the Open Peptide Standard. See results at /tests/. A passing test covers one batch, tested on one date. It does not mean the compound itself is safe.

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6. Who should be especially cautious

• Anyone with thyroid disease (Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease, thyroid nodules, or subclinical hypothyroidism): If the product is the iodide salt, daily oral capsules can deliver a massive pharmacological load of inorganic iodide capable of disrupting thyroid hormone synthesis.
• People with liver or kidney disease, or those taking drugs cleared by hepatic methylation: Human hepatic NNMT inhibition has never been tested clinically.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, and adolescents: Zero reproductive toxicology or human safety data exist.
• Tested competitive athletes: As an unapproved experimental small molecule, 5-Amino-1MQ falls under WADA's Section S0 (Non-Approved Substances) reading. ^R14

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7. Open questions and research gaps

1. Will 5-Amino-1MQ (or a clinical-candidate NNMT inhibitor from Ridgeline Therapeutics) ever enter and complete a human Phase 1 safety and pharmacokinetic trial?
2. What is the true oral bioavailability and half-life of 5-Amino-1MQ in humans, and how much systemic exposure actually reaches human adipose tissue or skeletal muscle after oral vs subcutaneous administration?
3. Does chronic NNMT inhibition in humans alter liver SAM/SAH methylation ratios, homocysteine levels, or nicotinamide clearance?

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8. References

1. ^R1 Neelakantan H, Wang HY, Vance V, Hommel JD, McHardy SF, Watowich SJ. Structure-Activity Relationship for Small Molecule Inhibitors of Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase. J Med Chem. 2017;60(12):5015–5028. PMID 28548833
2. ^R2 Neelakantan H, Vance V, Wetzel MD, Wang HL, McHardy SF, Finnerty CC, Hommel JD, Watowich SJ. Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice. Biochem Pharmacol. 2018;147:141–152. PMID 29155147
3. ^R3 Neelakantan H, Brightwell CR, Graber TG, Maroto R, Wang HL, McHardy SF, Papaconstantinou J, Fry CS, Watowich SJ. Small molecule nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibitor activates senescent muscle stem cells and improves regenerative capacity of aged skeletal muscle. Biochem Pharmacol. 2019;163:481–492. PMID 30753815
4. ^R4 Sampson CM, Dimet AL, Neelakantan H, Ogunseye KO, Stevenson HL, Hommel JD, Watowich SJ. Combined nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition and reduced-calorie diet normalizes body composition and enhances metabolic benefits in obese mice. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):5637. PMID 33707534
5. ^R5 Awosemo O, Neelakantan H, Watowich S, Liang D, Xie H. 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;204:114260. PMID 34304009
6. ^R6 Dimet-Wiley A, Wu Q, Wiley JT, Sampson CM, Neelakantan H, Savidge T, Watowich SJ. Reduced calorie diet combined with NNMT inhibition establishes a distinct microbiome in DIO mice. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):484. PMID 35013352
7. ^R7 Dimet-Wiley AL, Latham CM, Brightwell CR, Neelakantan H, Fry CS, Watowich SJ. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition mimics and boosts exercise-mediated improvements in muscle function in aged mice. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):15554. PMID 38969654
8. ^R8 Babula JJ, Bui D, Stevenson HL, Watowich SJ, Neelakantan H. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition mitigates obesity-related metabolic dysfunction. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2024;26(11):5090–5102. PMID 39161060
9. ^R9 Akar S, Duran T, Azzawri AA, Çelik Ç. Small molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase shows anti-proliferative activity in HeLa cells. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2021;41(8):1290–1296. PMID 33645410
10. ^R10 Chanvillard L, Lantermans HC, Wall C, et al. NNMT inhibition counteracts tubular senescence and fibrosis in early stages of chronic kidney disease. Cell Rep. 2026;45(1):116815. PMID 41543936
11. ^R11 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Drugs@FDA: FDA-Approved Drugs (searched via openFDA Oct 24, 2026 for "5-amino-1-methylquinolinium" and "5-amino-1MQ": no approved drug products). Drugs@FDA
12. ^R12 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (updated May 14, 2026). FDA 503A Nominations PDF
13. ^R13 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (updated March 21, 2025). FDA 503B Nominations PDF
14. ^R14 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List (January 2026) — Section S0 (Non-Approved Substances). WADA Prohibited List

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Disclaimer

This page is for education and harm reduction. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation to use this compound. Please talk to a clinician you trust before making medical decisions, and report adverse events to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).