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5-Amino-1MQ
$99.99
5-Amino-1MQ Canada, a selective, membrane-permeable NNMT inhibitor studied for fat metabolism, NAD+ preservation and body composition. Premium research-grade purity, shipped fast from Canada. For laboratory research use only.
Description
Meet one of the most talked-about small molecules in metabolic research: 5-Amino-1MQ. This selective, membrane-permeable inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) sits at the crossroads of fat metabolism, NAD+ biology and cellular energy expenditure. Helixx supplies it as premium, research-grade Canadian peptides with fast domestic shipping and independently verifiable purity. In diet-induced obese mice, compounds of this class drove progressive fat-mass loss and improved insulin sensitivity without reducing food intake, making 5-Amino-1MQ Canada a standout target for any laboratory investigating adipose energetics.1
What Is 5-Amino-1MQ?
5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small-molecule methylquinolinium compound. Despite often being listed among research peptides, it is not truly a peptide. It functions as a selective, competitive, membrane-permeable inhibitor of NNMT, a cytosolic enzyme that is highly expressed in white adipose tissue and the liver. Interest in this molecule has grown rapidly because NNMT sits upstream of two of the most important currencies in cellular metabolism: NAD+ and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). For laboratories sourcing peptides Canada-wide, it has become a reference tool for probing how methylation flux and NAD+ salvage shape fat-cell energetics.
How 5-Amino-1MQ Works
NNMT transfers a methyl group from SAM onto nicotinamide, producing 1-methylnicotinamide (1-MNA) while consuming both SAM and the nicotinamide that would otherwise feed NAD+ salvage. By occupying NNMT’s catalytic site, 5-Amino-1MQ reduces intracellular 1-MNA, spares SAM, and preserves the nicotinamide pool, which raises intracellular NAD+ and lifts the cellular methylation potential.1 Downstream, this increases NAD+-dependent signalling (for example, sirtuin activity), promotes polyamine flux, drives adipocyte energy expenditure and lipid oxidation, and suppresses lipogenesis. The importance of the target itself was confirmed independently: adipose-specific antisense knockdown of NNMT reproduced the very same protective metabolic phenotype in high-fat-diet mice.2
What the Research Shows
- Fat-mass loss and glucose control. In diet-induced obese mice, 5-Amino-1MQ-class NNMT inhibitors (e.g. ~20 mg/kg) produced progressive body-weight and fat-mass reductions and improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, all without any decrease in food intake, by lowering 1-MNA and raising NAD+ and SAM in adipocytes.1
- Target validation. Adipose-specific NNMT knockdown reduced weight gain despite equal food intake, raised SAM and NAD+, increased fat-cell oxygen consumption and polyamine flux, and improved insulin sensitivity, confirming NNMT as the mechanism 5-Amino-1MQ engages pharmacologically.2
- Independent corroboration. A structurally distinct small-molecule NNMT inhibitor (JBSNF-000088) lowered tissue 1-MNA, reduced body weight, and improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in mice, which reinforces that the metabolic benefits track with NNMT inhibition itself, not one specific chemotype.3
- Aged-muscle regeneration. In 24-month-old mice, an NNMT inhibitor of this class reactivated senescent muscle satellite cells and improved post-injury regeneration (~2-fold larger fibre cross-sectional area and ~70% greater peak torque).4
Researchers frequently benchmark 5-Amino-1MQ alongside other metabolic and body-composition tools such as MOTS-c, AOD9604, and incretin-class compounds like Tirzepatide and Retatrutide, though each acts through an entirely different pathway.
Chemical Properties
| Research Name | 5-Amino-1-methylquinoline (5-Amino-1MQ) |
| CAS Number | 6973-09-7 |
| Molecular Formula | C10H10N2 |
| Molecular Weight | 158.20 g/mol |
| Classification | Small-molecule methylquinolinium; selective NNMT inhibitor (PubChem CID 950107) |
Research Protocols & Handling
5-Amino-1MQ is supplied strictly for laboratory, research and educational use only. It is not for human or veterinary use, and not for consumption of any kind. As a small molecule it is typically handled in lyophilised or powder form and prepared in an appropriate solvent per the investigator’s assay design. Store sealed, protected from light and moisture; long-term storage at -20°C is standard, with reconstituted stock kept refrigerated and used within a short window to preserve integrity. Always weigh, reconstitute and aliquot using validated laboratory equipment, and document lot and purity data for reproducibility. All published dosing figures above are rodent-model parameters reported in the literature and are provided only as scientific context, not as a usage guide.
Potential Side Effects & Safety
Honesty matters. Here is what the evidence does and does not establish about 5-Amino-1MQ’s safety profile.
- No human data. 5-Amino-1MQ has never been evaluated in published human clinical trials, so no documented human side-effect profile exists. Every safety statement below is preclinical (rodent).
- Well tolerated in short rodent studies. In mice, NNMT inhibitors of this class showed no systemic toxicity and no significant changes across liver, renal, pancreatic, GI or endocrine plasma enzymes, lipids, plasma proteins or electrolytes, with no adverse behavioural effects after roughly one week of dosing.4
- No effect on appetite reported. At effective doses in rodents, no reduction in food intake and no overt adverse effects were observed.1
- Theoretical methylation concern. Because NNMT inhibition raises SAM and the cellular methylation potential, off-target changes in DNA or protein methylation are a mechanism-plausible concern with chronic exposure: theoretical, not documented in any trial.
- Theoretical NAD+/1-MNA signalling shifts. Altering nicotinamide, NAD+ and 1-MNA homeostasis could, in principle, affect vascular or renal signalling, since 1-MNA has its own physiological roles.
- Uncharacterised long-term profile. Long-term safety, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity and drug-interaction data are absent. Because NNMT is expressed in the liver, hepatic effects with prolonged exposure remain unstudied.
Not approved for human consumption in Canada or elsewhere; research and educational use only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 5-Amino-1MQ legal in Canada?
5-Amino-1MQ is offered strictly as a research chemical for laboratory and educational use only. It is not approved by Health Canada for human consumption and is not sold for that purpose. Researchers are responsible for complying with all applicable federal, provincial and institutional regulations governing the acquisition, handling and use of research materials.
Is 5-Amino-1MQ actually a peptide?
No. Although it is frequently grouped with research peptides, 5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule methylquinolinium (C10H10N2, 158.20 g/mol), not a peptide. It is listed alongside MOTS-c and other metabolic compounds because of overlapping research interest in fat metabolism and NAD+ biology, not because of a shared chemical structure.
How does 5-Amino-1MQ differ from GLP-1 compounds?
They act through completely separate mechanisms. 5-Amino-1MQ inhibits the intracellular enzyme NNMT to shift NAD+ and SAM levels within fat cells,1 whereas incretin-class research compounds such as Tirzepatide and Retatrutide act on receptor signalling. In mice, NNMT inhibitors reduced fat mass without lowering food intake.
What purity and sourcing standards apply to Helixx 5-Amino-1MQ?
Helixx supplies research-grade 5-Amino-1MQ Canada stock as part of its broader catalogue of Canadian peptides and research chemicals, with documentation available for independent verification. All materials ship domestically and are intended solely for laboratory and educational applications.
References
Peer-reviewed and authoritative sources cited above. Helixx supplies research materials for laboratory and educational use only; citations are provided for independent verification, not as medical guidance.
- Neelakantan H, Vance V, Wetzel MD, et al. 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.
- Kraus D, Yang Q, Kong D, et al. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase knockdown protects against diet-induced obesity. Nature. 2014;508(7495):258-262. PMID: 24717514.
- Kannt A, Rajagopal S, Kadnur SV, et al. A small molecule inhibitor of Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase for the treatment of metabolic disorders. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):3660. PMID: 29483571.
- Neelakantan H, Brightwell CR, Graber TG, et al. 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.