5-Amino-1MQ is not a peptide. It is 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, a small aromatic cation with a mass of 159.2, sold in a 50 mg vial, and it is a selective inhibitor of the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). It sits in a peptide catalogue because it turns up in the same adipocyte, NAD+ and metabolic research as the compounds around it, and because the certificate tests that apply to a peptide apply to it too. This post explains what the molecule is, what NNMT does and why inhibiting it is of interest, what the discovery paper reported and what it did not, how to read a certificate for a small molecule, and the one fact a search brought up that the product page does not: there is no registered clinical trial of it. The catalogue supplies 5-Amino-1MQ as a lyophilized powder for laboratory research use only.
What is the molecule?
| 5-Amino-1MQ | |
|---|---|
| Chemical name | 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium |
| Class | Quinolinium salt; a small aromatic heterocycle carrying a permanent positive charge on the ring nitrogen |
| Formula | C10H11N2+ (the cation) |
| Mass | 159.2 (cation) |
| CAS | 685079-15-6 |
| PubChem CID | 950107 |
| Not | A peptide, a protein, an amino acid or a nucleotide |
Everything about handling it follows from the last two rows. It has no peptide bonds for peptidases to cut, no residues to oxidise, no tertiary structure to lose on freezing. It is a stable, crystalline, water-soluble salt, and the rules in the reconstituted-lifetime post are far more cautious than it needs. What it does share with a peptide is the reason for a certificate: identity, content, purity and endotoxin are the same four questions, answered by the same methods.
What does NNMT do, and why inhibit it?
Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase takes a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and attaches it to nicotinamide, producing 1-methylnicotinamide. The reaction consumes two things a cell would otherwise use: the nicotinamide that feeds the NAD+ salvage pathway, and the methyl donor SAM. In tissues where NNMT is highly expressed, adipose tissue and liver especially, the enzyme acts as a drain on both pools.
Inhibiting NNMT is therefore studied as a way to raise NAD+ availability and methyl-donor availability in those tissues. That is the link to NAD+, which the NAD+ handling post covers from the chemistry side, and to the mitochondrial research that MOTS-c belongs to, which the mitochondrial peptides post introduces.
What did the discovery paper report?
Neelakantan and colleagues, in Biochemical Pharmacology in 2018, described a series of quinolinium compounds as selective, membrane-permeable NNMT inhibitors. In cultured adipocytes the compounds inhibited the enzyme and changed the cells' lipid accumulation; in mice on a high-fat diet, treatment reduced body weight and fat mass relative to controls. Those are the results, and the trial-data post applies with extra force: they are cell and mouse findings about an enzyme inhibitor, and they say nothing about any other species.
Two things the paper did not establish: long-term safety, which was not its purpose, and any human data, which do not exist for this compound. As of 28 September 2026 a search of ClinicalTrials.gov for the compound name and for NNMT inhibitors returned no registered study. The search that brought a reader to this page, "5-amino-1MQ clinicaltrials.gov", has that answer: nothing is registered. Any claim of human results is not from the literature.
How do you read a certificate for a small molecule?
The same four lines, with one extra question. Lot 5AM1MQ50-0803, certificate COA7587, was issued by Bioviridian Inc. on 17 August 2026 against a 50 mg sample and is published unaltered on the certificate page.
| Certificate line | Result | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Identity, LC-MS/MS | 5-Amino-1MQ, observed mass 159.2 | The cation's mass; correct for the compound |
| Content, HPLC quantitation | 50.98 mg | Slightly over the 50 mg label |
| Purity, RP-HPLC at 214 nm | 99.87% | One main peak |
| Endotoxin | < 0.05 EU/mL | Suitable for cell work; a small molecule can still carry endotoxin from its water |
| Heavy metals | Conforms | August 2026 layout |
The extra question is the counter-ion. A permanently charged cation is always supplied as a salt, iodide or chloride typically, and the mass spectrometer sees only the cation. The certificate does not name the anion, and it matters for the arithmetic: 50 mg of the iodide salt (cation 159.2 plus iodide 126.9, about 286 per mole) is 175 µmol, while 50 mg of pure cation would be 314 µmol. The content line, 50.98 mg, is almost certainly the salt as weighed. Until the supplier states the anion, record the mass and the uncertainty, and if the molar figure matters to the design, measure the concentration by absorbance against a standard. The TFA and acetate post makes the same point for peptides, where the counter-ion is also routinely omitted.
How many moles are in 50 mg?
| Assumption | Molar mass | 50 mg is | In 5 mL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure cation (upper bound) | 159.2 | 314 µmol | 63 mM |
| Iodide salt (likely) | 286.1 | 175 µmol | 35 mM |
| Chloride salt | 194.7 | 257 µmol | 51 mM |
The NNMT assays in the literature run in the low micromolar range, so whichever figure applies, a 50 mg vial is a large amount of compound. The molarity post covers why the molar figure, not the mass, is what a methods section needs.
How is it handled?
Easily. It dissolves in water or reconstitution solution immediately, tolerates room temperature as a solid, and survives freeze-thaw cycles that would damage a peptide. Quinolinium compounds are light-sensitive in solution over long periods, so keep stocks dark. It has no peptide chemistry to protect, which makes it the most forgiving item in the catalogue to work with, and the storage guide windows are conservative for it.
Frequently asked questions
Is 5-Amino-1MQ a peptide?
No. It is a quinolinium small molecule with a mass of 159. It is in a peptide catalogue because of the research it shares with the peptides, not because of what it is.
Is there a clinical trial of 5-Amino-1MQ?
No registered trial was found on ClinicalTrials.gov on 28 September 2026, searching by compound name and by enzyme target. The published work is cell and mouse research.
What is NNMT?
Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, the enzyme that methylates nicotinamide using SAM. Inhibiting it spares the nicotinamide that feeds NAD+ salvage and the methyl donor, which is the mechanism of interest.
Why does the certificate not name the counter-ion?
Because the mass spectrometer identifies the cation and the standard certificate layout does not report anions. Ask the supplier which salt is supplied if the molar figure matters; until then, treat 50 mg as the salt as weighed.
What should the methods section record?
"5-amino-1-methylquinolinium (5-Amino-1MQ), CAS 685079-15-6", the salt form if known, the supplier, lot 5AM1MQ50-0803, certificate COA7587, and the stock concentration with the molar-mass assumption stated. The methods-section post has the template.
References
- 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. Biochemical Pharmacology 2018;147:141-152. doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2017.11.007
- PubChem, National Library of Medicine. 5-Amino-1-methylquinolinium, CID 950107, C10H11N2+, 159.21 g/mol, CAS 685079-15-6. Read 28 September 2026. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/950107
- ClinicalTrials.gov, searched for "5-amino-1MQ" and "NNMT inhibitor" on 28 September 2026: no registered studies. clinicaltrials.gov
Every product mentioned is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or animal use. Nothing on this page describes or recommends use of the material sold here in humans or animals.
