5-Amino-1MQ: Chemical Identity and Preclinical Evidence

Last evidence review: August 27, 2026

5-Amino-1MQ is shorthand for 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, a small-molecule scaffold studied as an inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, or NNMT. The published evidence identified in this review consists of enzyme assays, cell experiments, and mouse studies.

No exact-name human study was returned by the ClinicalTrials.gov search conducted for this page on August 27, 2026. The compound should therefore be described as preclinical, not as a human weight-loss, metabolic, muscle-recovery, or longevity intervention.

This page explains the chemical-form issue that short catalog names often hide. It does not provide use instructions and does not establish the contents of any catalog vial.

Evidence state at a glance

Why the counterion matters

PubChem’s parent record represents the positively charged 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium ion, with formula C10H11N2+ and molecular weight 159.21 g/mol.[1] A physical material also contains a counterion.

For example, PubChem’s iodide record has formula C10H11IN2 and molecular weight 286.11 g/mol.[2] A chloride record has a different formula and molecular weight again. These are not interchangeable mass descriptions.

That distinction affects how a labeled amount is interpreted. A stated mass could mean total salt mass or an amount expressed as the 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium equivalent. Unless the counterion and mass basis are disclosed, the short name and number do not fully define the material.

What does NNMT do in these studies?

NNMT is an enzyme that transfers a methyl group to nicotinamide, producing 1-methylnicotinamide. A structure–activity study evaluated quinolinium and related compounds as NNMT inhibitors and identified low-micromolar activity for selected structures.[3]

A later primary study reported that 5-amino-1MQ crossed the tested membrane models and inhibited NNMT-associated measurements in experimental systems. In differentiated mouse adipocytes, investigators measured changes in 1-methylnicotinamide and selected intracellular metabolites.[4]

An enzyme-inhibition value or change in a cultured cell is mechanistic evidence. It does not establish a safe exposure, a health outcome, or clinical effectiveness in people.

Animal research

The 2018 paper also examined 5-amino-1MQ in a short diet-induced-obesity experiment in mice.[4] A separate 2019 study evaluated an NNMT inhibitor in aged-mouse muscle-injury models and complementary cell experiments.[5]

These studies make 5-amino-1MQ relevant to experimental questions about NNMT, cellular metabolism, adipocyte biology, and muscle regeneration in the specific models used. They do not establish that a person will experience weight change, improved muscle recovery, altered aging, or any other clinical outcome.

Microbiome differences are not automatically improvements

A 2022 mouse study explicitly identifies 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium and examines its combination with a low-fat diet. It reported a distinct cecal microbiome pattern, while alpha-diversity measures did not significantly differ between groups. The authors also found differences associated with diet switching irrespective of inhibitor treatment. Microbiome primary abstract

A different bacterial composition is not, by itself, a healthier microbiome or proof that microbial changes caused weight change. Direction of causation, dietary effects and the meaning of relative abundance remain separate questions. This appraisal used the abstract for that study and does not claim to have reanalyzed its sequencing data.

Human-evidence and regulatory context

The exact-name ClinicalTrials.gov query returned no records for 5-amino-1MQ on August 27, 2026. Because records can use alternate names, this is best stated as a dated search result rather than proof of universal absence.

A January 2026 FDA warning letter to a separate compounding facility identifies 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide as 5-Amino-1MQ. FDA said products compounded with that substance were not eligible for the section 503B exemptions discussed in the letter because it did not appear on the 503B bulks list and was not used to compound a drug on the shortage list.[6]

The warning letter concerns the named facility and conduct. It does not approve the substance, certify other vendors, or establish what form is present in a Serum Research item.

Human samples are not human treatment results

A 2025 Graves' orbitopathy study measured NNMT in orbital tissue and investigated inflammatory responses in cultured fibroblasts. Its methods identify 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide among the laboratory reagents. The tissues came from people, but treating cultured cells after collection is different from administering the inhibitor to those people. The reported inflammatory measurements are cellular endpoints, not changes in eye symptoms or treatment outcomes after clinical exposure. Primary study abstract and methods

A 2024 bladder cancer study also combines different evidence types. Associations between NNMT-positive cancer-associated fibroblasts and unfavorable clinical outcomes concern human disease features. The inhibitor intervention described in the abstract occurred in mouse models. A human association can identify a promising target while leaving the question of patient benefit entirely open. Bladder cancer primary report

These examples explain why counting papers with human samples would create a misleading impression of a clinical evidence base. The relevant denominator for a treatment-safety claim is people exposed to the defined treatment and followed appropriately, not tissue donors or laboratory cultures.

Major evidence limitations

• The evidence reviewed is preclinical.
• The central mouse studies were short and model-specific.
• A biochemical NNMT result cannot establish a human outcome.
• “5-Amino-1MQ” alone does not identify the counterion or mass basis.
• PubChem and FDA identity records do not establish commercial-lot identity or quality.
• No public lot-specific evidence reviewed here supports a purity, testing, stability, or “research grade” claim.

Frequently asked questions

Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?

No. It is a small-molecule quinolinium compound.

What does “NNMT inhibitor” mean?

It means the compound reduced NNMT activity or NNMT-associated measurements in the cited experimental systems. It does not mean that a clinical benefit has been established.

Are 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide and chloride the same material?

No. They share the same positively charged core but have different counterions, formulas, and molecular weights.

Have human clinical trials established outcomes for 5-Amino-1MQ?

No such trial was identified in the exact-name ClinicalTrials.gov search used for this review. The evidence described here is enzyme, cell, and animal evidence.

Does a PubChem record mean FDA approval?

No. PubChem is an identity and information database. A CID, CAS number, or UNII is not an approval.

Does this page validate the catalog’s 5 mg or 50 mg items?

No. The catalog must first disclose and document the counterion, formula, molecular weight, amount basis, and matching lot evidence.

Primary and official sources

1. PubChem 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium cation record, CID 950107
2. PubChem 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide record, CID 66522933 and chloride record, CID 176507677
3. NNMT-inhibitor structure–activity study, PMID 28548833
4. Cell and diet-induced-obese mouse study, PMID 29155147 and full text
5. Aged-mouse muscle-injury study, PMID 30753815
6. FDA warning letter to GenoGenix LLC, January 20, 2026