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5-Amino-1MQ (5-Amino-1-Methylquinolinium) – Selective NNMT Inhibitor Research Compound | Peptides Lab UK

5-Amino-1MQ (5-Amino-1-Methylquinolinium) is a selective, membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitor of Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase (NNMT) — an enzyme that regulates NAD+ availability, methyl-donor metabolism, and lipid storage in adipose and other metabolic tissues — supplied by Peptides Lab UK in lyophilised format at >99% purity (HPLC verified) for in vitro and pre-clinical laboratory research use only.

Available to buy in the UK from Peptides Lab UK, 5-Amino-1MQ is one of the most extensively characterised selective NNMT inhibitors in current metabolic research, with published pre-clinical evidence spanning adipocyte biology, diet-induced obesity models, NAD+/SAM pathway studies, skeletal muscle function research, and cancer cell biology. Each batch is independently quality-tested and distributed in a controlled lyophilised format, suitable for precise laboratory handling and in vitro research protocols.

What is 5-Amino-1MQ?

5-Amino-1MQ — full chemical name 5-Amino-1-Methylquinolinium — is a small molecule compound belonging to the 1-methylquinolinium (1MQ) scaffold family. It was identified through a medicinal chemistry programme at the University of Texas Health Science Center as the lead NNMT inhibitor candidate among a series of 1-methylquinolinium analogues bearing primary amine substitutions, selected for its combination of high passive membrane permeability (confirmed in PAMPA assays), high active transport membrane permeability (confirmed in bidirectional Caco-2 cell assays), potent NNMT inhibitory activity, and high selectivity — including confirmed absence of inhibitory effects on related SAM-dependent methyltransferases or enzymes in the NAD+ salvage pathway.

NNMT (Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase) is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyses the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) to nicotinamide — producing 1-methylnicotinamide (1-MNA) and S-adenosyl-homocysteine (SAH) as reaction products. NNMT is expressed at high levels in the liver and is also present in adipose tissue, kidney, brain, lung, heart, and skeletal muscle. Its activity intersects two major metabolic pathways simultaneously: the NAD+ biosynthesis pathway (by consuming nicotinamide, an NAD+ precursor, NNMT competes with the NAD+ salvage pathway) and the methyl-donor pathway (by consuming SAM, NNMT reduces the availability of methyl groups for epigenetic and metabolic methylation reactions).

These dual metabolic interactions make NNMT a uniquely positioned research target. When NNMT activity is elevated — as documented in obese adipose tissue, several cancer types, and aged skeletal muscle — intracellular NAD+ availability decreases, SAM availability decreases, and downstream sirtuin activity (particularly SIRT1 and SIRT3) is reduced. 5-Amino-1MQ inhibits NNMT activity, preserving nicotinamide for NAD+ synthesis and preserving SAM for epigenetic methylation — producing a metabolic state in pre-clinical models that has been described as functionally resembling caloric restriction or elevated physical activity at the cellular level.

5-Amino-1MQ – Key Research Facts

Chemical name: 5-Amino-1-Methylquinolinium (also abbreviated as 5A-1MQ or 5MQ)

Target enzyme: Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase (NNMT)

Mechanism: Competitive inhibition of NNMT — reduces 1-MNA production, preserves nicotinamide for NAD+ synthesis and SAM for epigenetic methylation

Selectivity: High selectivity for NNMT — does not inhibit related SAM-dependent methyltransferases or NAD+ salvage pathway enzymes

Membrane permeability: High passive and active transport permeability confirmed in PAMPA and Caco-2 cell assays

NNMT expression: Upregulated in obese adipose tissue, multiple cancer types, and aged skeletal muscle — tissue contexts of primary research interest

Downstream targets: NAD+ availability, SIRT1/SIRT3 activity, SAM-dependent epigenetic methylation, lipogenesis, energy expenditure

Pre-clinical models: Diet-induced obese (DIO) mice, 3T3-L1 adipocyte cell models, aged mouse skeletal muscle models, HeLa cancer cell lines

In vitro cell viability: No impact on cell viability at 10 µM concentration in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes in published toxicity profiling

What Does 5-Amino-1MQ Do in Research?

In laboratory and pre-clinical research settings, 5-Amino-1MQ is used as a molecular probe to investigate the consequences of NNMT inhibition across multiple metabolic and cellular systems. Its high selectivity and confirmed membrane permeability make it one of the most reliable small-molecule tools currently available for interrogating the NNMT pathway in both cell-based and in vivo experimental models.

At the enzyme level, 5-Amino-1MQ inhibits NNMT’s methylation of nicotinamide — reducing intracellular 1-MNA levels and diverting nicotinamide back into the NAD+ salvage pathway (via NAMPT-mediated conversion to NMN and subsequently NAD+). The resulting increase in intracellular NAD+ availability activates sirtuins — particularly SIRT1, which regulates insulin sensitivity, gluconeogenesis, cholesterol synthesis, and fatty acid oxidation, and SIRT3, which governs mitochondrial antioxidant defences and energy metabolism. Simultaneously, NNMT inhibition preserves SAM — the primary methyl-donor for epigenetic histone and DNA methylation reactions — which has been shown to influence gene expression programmes governing adipogenesis, lipid storage, and energy expenditure in adipose tissue models.

In 3T3-L1 adipocyte cell models, 5-Amino-1MQ at 30 µM concentration produced significant reductions in intracellular 1-MNA levels, confirming target engagement. In diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse models, 5-Amino-1MQ treatment produced significant reductions in body weight, white adipose tissue mass, and adipocyte cell size — without significant effects on food intake — suggesting a metabolic rather than appetite-suppressing mechanism. A 2024 study in aged mice found that 5-Amino-1MQ improved grip strength and muscle endurance compared to exercise training alone and produced sustained enhanced muscle performance with reduced research applications time requirements. The compound’s research profile now spans adipose tissue biology, skeletal muscle physiology, gut microbiome modulation, cardiovascular metabolic pathways, and cancer cell biology.

Key Research Areas for 5-Amino-1MQ

NNMT enzyme inhibition assays — IC50 characterisation, selectivity profiling, and 1-MNA production quantification

NAD+ salvage pathway studies — nicotinamide flux, NMN and NAD+ pool modulation in vitro

SAM/SAH methyl-donor pathway research — epigenetic methylation capacity and histone modification studies

Adipocyte biology — lipogenesis suppression, adipocyte size, white adipose mass, and lipid storage pathway studies

SIRT1 and SIRT3 activation and downstream pathway research — insulin sensitivity, gluconeogenesis, mitochondrial function

Skeletal muscle function and sarcopenia pathway research — muscle strength, endurance, and mitophagy-related studies in aged models

Gut microbiome modulation research in diet-induced obesity models

Cancer cell biology — NNMT-overexpressing cell line studies, anti-proliferative pathway investigations

Cardiovascular metabolic pathway research — homocysteine, SIRT activity, NF-κB and STAT3 inflammatory signalling

Comparative NNMT inhibitor studies — 5-Amino-1MQ vs. other 1MQ scaffold analogues and bisubstrate inhibitors

What Do Studies Say About 5-Amino-1MQ?

5-Amino-1MQ has a growing and well-cited published research base across metabolic, musculoskeletal, oncological, and cardiovascular research contexts.

Foundational Pharmacology & Diet-Induced Obesity Study (Biochemical Pharmacology, 2018)

Selective NNMT Inhibition Reverses Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice

The foundational published study of 5-Amino-1MQ’s pharmacological characterisation and in vivo efficacy was published in Biochemical Pharmacology. The study identified 5-Amino-1MQ from a series of 1-methylquinolinium analogues through PAMPA and Caco-2 permeability screening and confirmed its high selectivity for NNMT over related SAM-dependent methyltransferases. In vitro, 5-Amino-1MQ at 30 µM in 3T3-L1 adipocytes significantly reduced intracellular 1-MNA levels, confirming NNMT target engagement. In diet-induced obese mice (16 weeks HFD), subcutaneous 5-Amino-1MQ treatment for 11 days (20 mg/kg/injection, three injections daily) produced significantly reduced body weights, white adipose tissue masses, and adipocyte cell sizes compared to vehicle controls. Importantly, no significant impact on food intake and no observable adverse effects were reported, suggesting a metabolic rather than appetite-mediated mechanism of action.

Reference: Neelakantan H, Vance V, Wetzel MD, Wang HY, McHardy SF, Finnerty CC, Hommel JD, Watowich SJ (2018). Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice. Biochemical Pharmacology. DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2018.05.003. PubMed PMID: 29738706. PMC: PMC6015571.

NNMT Inhibition, NAD+ & Obesity/Type 2 Diabetes Pathway Review (PMC, 2021)

5-Amino-1MQ as a Validated Research Tool for NNMT-Linked Metabolic Pathways

A comprehensive review of NNMT’s roles in obesity and type 2 diabetes published in BioMed Research International and indexed on PubMed Central evaluated 5-Amino-1MQ alongside other NNMT inhibitors. The review confirmed that in vitro, 5-Amino-1MQ significantly reduced intracellular 1-MNA, increased intracellular NAD+, and suppressed lipogenesis in adipocytes. In vivo, treated mice showed significantly reduced body weights, white adipose masses, and adipocyte sizes — findings replicated across multiple independent studies from the same research group. The review concluded that NNMT plays important roles in obesity and type 2 diabetes and validated 5-Amino-1MQ as a potent small-molecule NNMT inhibitor that reverses diet-induced metabolic changes, establishing it as a primary research tool for the NNMT pathway.

Reference: Liu M et al. (2021). Roles of Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. BioMed Research International. PMC Article PMC8337113. DOI: 10.1155/2021/9924314.

Muscle Strength, Endurance & Sarcopenia Research (Scientific Reports, 2024)

5-Amino-1MQ Improves Aged Muscle Function Beyond Exercise Alone

A study published in Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch investigated 5-Amino-1MQ as an NNMT inhibitor in aged female mice to assess its effects on muscle strength and endurance. Treatment with 5-Amino-1MQ improved grip strength to a greater extent than exercise training alone in aged mice. Compared to rigorous exercise training by itself, the addition of 5-Amino-1MQ produced sustained enhanced muscle performance and was associated with a reduced need for muscle research applications between exercise bouts. The researchers proposed that the compound’s effects on muscle function operate through boosting NAD+ levels — by inhibiting NNMT’s consumption of nicotinamide, more substrate is available for NAD+ synthesis via the salvage pathway, supporting mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in aged skeletal muscle. The authors identified future areas of investigation including male models, long-term treatment effects, and combination with other NAD+ precursors such as NMN.

Reference: Dimet-Wiley AL, Latham CM, Brightwell CR, Neelakantan H, Keeble AR, Thomas NT, Noehren H, Fry CS, Watowich SJ (2024). Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition mimics and boosts exercise-mediated improvements in muscle function in aged mice. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66034-9. PubMed PMID: 38969654. PMC: PMC11226645.

Gut Microbiome Modulation in Diet-Induced Obesity (PubMed, 2022)

5-Amino-1MQ Establishes a Distinct Microbiome Profile in DIO Mice

A study published on PubMed investigated the effects of 5-Amino-1MQ combined with a low-fat diet on the gut microbiome of diet-induced obese mice. Treatment with 5-Amino-1MQ combined with diet transition produced dramatic whole-body adiposity and weight loss, rapidly normalising these measures to levels comparable to age-matched lean control animals — an outcome that diet switch alone was unable to achieve in the same time frame. K-means clustering of amplicon sequence variant data confirmed that 5-Amino-1MQ treatment generated a distinct cecal microbiome profile from all other treatment groups — including diet-switched vehicle controls — indicating that NNMT inhibition produces microbiome changes that are separable from those produced by dietary composition alone. Correlations between the white adipose tissue metabolome and the microbiome strongly suggested that cecal Parasutterella abundance is linked to the metabolic effects of 5-Amino-1MQ treatment.

Reference: PubMed (2022). Reduced calorie diet combined with NNMT inhibition establishes a distinct microbiome in diet-induced obese mice. PubMed PMID: 35013352.

Cancer Cell Biology — NNMT Inhibition in HeLa Cells (PubMed, 2021)

5-Amino-1MQ Inhibits Cancer Cell Proliferation via NNMT-Dependent Pathways

A study published on PubMed investigated the effects of 5-Amino-1MQ (referred to as 5MQ) on HeLa cervical cancer cell proliferation. The study found that 5MQ significantly inhibited HeLa cell proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Increased cell shrinkage, loss of cellular adhesions, and apoptotic bodies were observed in treated HeLa cells. At the gene expression level, ZEB1, SIRT1, and CD16 mRNA levels were increased following 5MQ treatment, while TWIST and SERPIN1 mRNA levels were reduced. Expressions of oncogenic proteins phospho-Akt and SIRT1 were decreased. Importantly, 5MQ was found to effectively inhibit HeLa cell proliferation without apparently affecting normal HEK-293 cell proliferation — suggesting selectivity for cancer cell biology contexts. The authors noted NNMT overexpression in many human malignancies and described 5-Amino-1MQ as a novel NNMT inhibitor with promising results across obesity and cancer cell research models.

Reference: Small molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase shows anti-proliferative activity in HeLa cells (2021). PubMed PMID: 33645410.

NNMT in Cardiovascular Disease — 5-Amino-1MQ as a Research Tool (MDPI, 2025)

NNMT Inhibition as a Strategy for Cardiovascular Metabolic Pathway Research

A 2025 review published in Biomolecules (MDPI) examined NNMT as a metabolic regulator in cardiovascular disease pathogenesis and identified 5-Amino-1MQ as a key research tool for investigating NNMT-mediated cardiovascular metabolic pathways. The review confirmed that NNMT-mediated NAD+ depletion impairs mitochondrial function, SIRT activity (particularly SIRT1 and SIRT3), redox balance, and energy metabolism, creating conditions relevant to cardiovascular disease research models. NNMT upregulation was documented to elevate homocysteine levels, activating pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative cascades including TLR4-NF-κB and STAT3-IL-1β signalling. The review positioned 5-Amino-1MQ and combined use with NAD+ precursors such as NMN as the primary research directions for investigating NNMT-targeted cardiovascular metabolic interventions in pre-clinical models.

Reference: Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase in Cardiovascular Diseases: Metabolic Regulator and Emerging Therapeutic Target (2025). Biomolecules, MDPI. DOI: 10.3390/biom15091281.

5-Amino-1MQ UK – Specifications

Product Details

Chemical name: 5-Amino-1-Methylquinolinium (5-Amino-1MQ / 5A-1MQ / 5MQ)

Target: Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase (NNMT)

Purity:>99% (HPLC verified)

Form: Lyophilised powder

Storage: Store dry at –20°C; protect from light

Solubility: Bacteriostatic water, sterile water, or suitable laboratory solvents

Distributed by: Peptides Lab UK

Quality assurance: Rigorous batch-level analysis; certificate of analysis available on request

Research Applications

Suitable Laboratory Uses for 5-Amino-1MQ

NNMT enzyme inhibition assays — IC50 determination, target engagement confirmation, and 1-MNA quantification

NAD+ salvage pathway modulation studies — nicotinamide flux, NMN and NAD+ pool measurement

SAM/SAH methyl-donor pathway and epigenetic methylation capacity research

Adipocyte biology — lipogenesis, adipocyte differentiation, fat mass, and lipid storage pathway studies

SIRT1 and SIRT3 activation and insulin sensitivity pathway investigations

Mitochondrial function and energy expenditure pathway research

Skeletal muscle physiology — muscle function, sarcopenia pathway, and mitophagy-related studies

NNMT-overexpressing cancer cell line studies — anti-proliferative and apoptotic pathway research

Gut microbiome modulation research in diet-induced obesity models

Cardiovascular metabolic pathway studies — homocysteine, NF-κB, STAT3, redox signalling

Comparative NNMT inhibitor research — 5-Amino-1MQ vs. other 1MQ scaffold and bisubstrate inhibitors

Combination pathway studies — 5-Amino-1MQ with NAD+ precursors (NMN, NR)

Why Buy 5-Amino-1MQ in the UK from Peptides Lab UK?

Peptides Lab UK is a trusted UK-based supplier of research-grade peptides and small molecule research compounds. All products are distributed in lyophilised format with batch-verified purity documentation. Whether you are looking to buy 5-Amino-1MQ in the UK, sourcing a verified NNMT inhibitor for pre-clinical metabolic research, or searching for a reliable UK peptides supplier with documented quality control, Peptides Lab UK provides consistent quality with rigorous third-party analysis on every batch.

5-Amino-1MQ’s confirmed high selectivity — documented not to inhibit related SAM-dependent methyltransferases or NAD+ salvage pathway enzymes — makes it the most validated small-molecule NNMT research tool currently available, and ensures that experimental findings can be reliably attributed to NNMT inhibition rather than off-target effects.

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Important Notice & Research Disclaimer

⚠️ This product is supplied by Peptides Lab UK strictly for laboratory research use only. 5-Amino-1MQ (5-Amino-1-Methylquinolinium) as distributed by Peptides Lab UK is not intended for, and must not be used for, human consumption, medical treatment, self-administration, veterinary applications, or any use outside of a controlled laboratory environment. This compound is handled exclusively in controlled research settings for in vitro and pre-clinical studies, with no applications in human or veterinary medicine.

Handling must only be performed by qualified and trained laboratory professionals in accordance with applicable regulations and institutional guidelines. Peptides Lab UK accepts no liability for any use of this compound outside of its intended laboratory research purpose.

References to clinical trials and published research throughout this description are provided for informational and research context only and do not constitute medical claims or endorsements of any therapeutic application of this product.