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Compound profile· Compounds

5-Amino-1MQ, what the evidence shows

By The PepVise Editorial Team · Reviewed July 6, 2026 · 14 min read

Evidence Ledger for 5-Amino-1MQ: a small-molecule NNMT inhibitor marketed for fat loss, with compelling preclinical mouse metabolic biology and no published controlled human trial. Strictly speaking, it is not a peptide.

We describe what has been measured, by whom, at what scale, with what effect size, and with what caveats. Hedging, here, is honesty.
The PepVise Editorial Teamfrom the house style guide
Editorial reference
Primary literature

PubMed search, '5-amino-1MQ' and 'NNMT inhibitor'

5-Amino-1MQ is a case where the search makes the mismatch obvious at once: a small but solid preclinical literature on NNMT inhibition and fat loss in obese mice from a few groups, and not one published controlled human trial. The search is a more honest guide than any summary, including ours.

Reference reading

The texts we read alongside the papers.

  1. 01
    Primary literature

    PubMed saved search, '5-amino-1MQ' and 'NNMT inhibitor'

    A PubMed search surfaces the defining shape of the evidence: the foundational Neelakantan et al. paper (Biochemical Pharmacology 2018), in which a selective, membrane-permeable NNMT inhibitor reversed high-fat-diet-induced obesity in mice, plus related work on NNMT in adipose metabolism. It is the fastest way to see the preclinical depth and the clinical emptiness side by side.

  2. 02
    Reference text

    Williams Textbook of Endocrinology (14th ed.)

    5-Amino-1MQ acts on nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), and through it on NAD+ and SAM metabolism in fat tissue, which is standard endocrinology and cell metabolism. Williams supplies the background to read the mechanistic claims critically, without the fat-loss marketing layer vendor pages add.

  3. 03
    Popular-science background

    Outlive, Peter Attia, MD (with Bill Gifford)

    Attia's repeated theme, that a striking effect in a mouse metabolic model is a hypothesis about humans rather than a result in humans, is the exact discipline 5-Amino-1MQ requires. Read it for the reasoning framework, not for this compound's specifics.

Methodology

How we read the literature

Evidence tier
We grade the literature on four tiers, High (replicated RCTs or meta-analyses), Moderate (multiple trials with mixed findings), Low (a single pilot or case series), and Anecdotal (preclinical only, no human data). The tier appears on every compound profile beside the claim it supports.
Trial stage
Where a compound sits in the human development pipeline is recorded as Preclinical, Phase 1, Phase 2, or Phase 3+. We pull the current stage from ClinicalTrials.gov and the EU Clinical Trials Register on access date and re-verify quarterly.
Regulatory status
We state the FDA posture plainly, approved for indication X, or labeled for research use only, or removed from the 503A list, or investigational under a specific IND. Regulatory status changes; every post carries a review date.
Where we're uncertain
Every compound profile closes with a named uncertainty section, the question we can't answer from the current literature, the trial we'd want to see, the effect size we'd treat as a real signal. Uncertainty is not a failure mode here; it's load-bearing.
Frequently asked

The questions readers actually bring us.

Is 5-Amino-1MQ FDA-approved?
No. 5-Amino-1MQ has no FDA-approved indication and is not registered as a drug. It circulates as a research chemical labeled for non-human use. There is no published controlled human trial in the uses it is marketed for.
Is 5-Amino-1MQ even a peptide?
No, not strictly. 5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small-molecule drug, a quinolinium derivative, not a chain of amino acids. It is sold in peptide shops and discussed in peptide forums, which is why it is covered here, but chemically it is a small molecule and an NNMT enzyme inhibitor.
What does the preclinical evidence show?
In mice, a selective NNMT inhibitor of this class reversed high-fat-diet-induced obesity, reducing body weight and white-fat mass without cutting food intake, with smaller fat cells and lower plasma cholesterol (Neelakantan et al., Biochemical Pharmacology 2018). In cultured adipocytes it raised NAD+ and SAM. The result is clean and credible, but it is a mouse and cell result.
Are there human trials of 5-Amino-1MQ?
No. There is no published human pharmacokinetic study, no published Phase 1 dose-finding data, and no completed controlled human trial of 5-Amino-1MQ in any indication. The controlled human record is effectively empty, so claims about human fat loss are extrapolation from rodent metabolism.
Why does PepVise not give a 5-Amino-1MQ dose?
Because there is no human dose-finding trial to derive a dose from. The figures online come from mouse milligram-per-kilogram work and forums. We describe what has been published and do not recommend administration.
What would change our reading

A Phase 2 randomized trial with blinded outcome assessment would change the reading. A new independent replication outside the currently dominant research group would change the reading. A regulatory action, approval, restriction, or a class warning, would change the reading. When any of those lands, we update this profile within a week and mark what changed.

The masthead

About The Pepvise Editorial Team

The Pepvise Editorial Team is a small group of researchers and science writers reading the peer-reviewed peptide literature and translating it into calm, cited analysis. We do not sell peptides, recommend peptides, or tell readers what to administer. We describe what has been measured, by whom, at what scale, with what effect size.

Compound reviews are signed off by Dr. Priya Narang, MD, MPH (endocrinologist) and Dr. Marcus Haley, PharmD, BCPS (board-certified clinical pharmacist). Both hold verifiable state-board licenses and have signed editorial-independence letters with us. See the full editorial board →

Further reading

Adjacent in the literature.

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