5-Amino-1MQ

5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small synthetic molecule, not a peptide. It blocks nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), an enzyme that adds a methyl group to nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3. It came from a series of quinolinium compounds made by a research group at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Neelakantan et al., J Med Chem 2017). In cultured mouse fat cells, it and related compounds lowered the enzyme's product and raised NAD+ levels. In mice made obese on a high-fat diet, 11 days of treatment led to lower body weight and fat mass than in untreated mice, with no change in food intake (Neelakantan et al., Biochem Pharmacol 2018). Later mouse studies from the same group looked at diet changes, fatty liver and muscle in old mice. The evidence is limited: nearly all published studies come from one research group and a company founded by its lead scientist, and we found no independent replication. There are no published human studies, so its effects, safety and handling in the human body are unknown. Supplied for laboratory research use only.