5-Amino-1MQ Capsules UK

Last reviewed 16 October 2026 · prices and listings checked by Free Muscle

5-Amino-1MQ, in full 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium and sometimes written 5-amino-1MQ or 5A-1MQ, is a small-molecule inhibitor of the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). It is a positively charged quinolinium salt developed as a research tool for studying fat cell metabolism, and all published data comes from cells, mice and rats. This page lists every brand of 5-Amino-1MQ stocked at Free Muscle, compared on strength per capsule where stated, capsules per pack and whether a batch certificate is available. Sold for laboratory research to adults only.

What is 5-Amino-1MQ?

NNMT is an enzyme found at high levels in the liver and in white fat. It transfers a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine onto nicotinamide, producing 1-methylnicotinamide. In doing so it consumes both a methyl donor and a precursor of NAD+, the coenzyme at the centre of cellular energy metabolism. In 2014 a group at Harvard reported that NNMT expression is raised in the fat of obese mice and that knocking the enzyme down protected the animals against diet-induced obesity, which made NNMT a target for drug discovery.

5-Amino-1MQ came out of a medicinal chemistry programme at the University of Texas Medical Branch that screened quinolinium compounds for NNMT inhibition and published its structure-activity results in 2017. It was chosen because it inhibits the enzyme selectively, enters cells despite its permanent positive charge, and does not inhibit related methyltransferases. In cultured fat cells it reduced the accumulation of lipid, and in mice fed a high-fat diet it reduced body weight and fat mass. It has never been in a clinical trial. There is no human pharmacokinetic, safety or efficacy data, it is not approved as a medicine anywhere, and the claims that accompany it online go well beyond anything published.

What the published research reports

• NNMT knockdown and diet-induced obesity in mice (2014). Using antisense oligonucleotides rather than a drug, researchers reduced NNMT in the liver and fat of mice on a high-fat diet. Treated animals gained less fat, showed higher energy expenditure, higher NAD+ levels and changes in polyamine metabolism. This established the target but did not test any small-molecule inhibitor. Kraus D, et al. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase knockdown protects against diet-induced obesity. Nature. 2014;508(7495):258-262. PMID: 24717514.
• Discovery of the quinolinium inhibitors (2017). Enzyme assays and computer docking, without animals, identified quinolinium compounds as NNMT inhibitors active at around 1 micromolar, binding where nicotinamide normally sits. Neelakantan H, et al. Structure-activity relationship for small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase. J Med Chem. 2017;60(12):5015-5028. PMID: 28548833.
• Small-molecule NNMT inhibitors reverse diet-induced obesity in mice (2018). Membrane-permeable quinolinium inhibitors including 5-amino-1MQ were tested in cultured adipocytes and in obese mice. Treated mice lost body weight and white fat mass and had lower plasma cholesterol than controls, without a change in food intake. Treatment lasted 11 days, by subcutaneous injection, and no observable adverse effects were recorded in that short period; longer-term effects were not studied. Neelakantan H, et al. Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice. Biochem Pharmacol. 2018;147:141-152. PMID: 29155147.
• Muscle regeneration in aged mice (2019). Twenty-four-month-old mice with a chemically induced muscle injury received subcutaneous injections of an NNMT inhibitor for two or four weeks. Muscle stem cell proliferation, myofibre cross-sectional area and peak contractile torque were higher than in untreated aged controls, with torque roughly 70 per cent higher. A plasma chemistry panel showed no signs of systemic toxicity. The work was limited to aged mice with an induced injury and to cultured cells. Neelakantan H, et al. Small molecule nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibitor activates senescent muscle stem cells and improves regenerative capacity of aged skeletal muscle. Biochem Pharmacol. 2019;163:481-492. PMID: 30753815.
• Oral bioavailability in rats (2021). Rats were given it intravenously and by mouth, and plasma levels were tracked with a validated LC-MS/MS assay: about 38 per cent of the oral amount reached the circulation, which the authors called good oral bioavailability. These are the only published pharmacokinetic data we know of; absorption in people has never been measured. Awosemo O, et al. Development & validation of LC-MS/MS assay for 5-amino-1-methyl quinolinium in rat plasma: application to pharmacokinetic and oral bioavailability studies. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2021;204:114255. PMID: 34304009.
• Inhibitor plus a reduced-calorie diet in obese mice (2021). Obese mice switched to a lean diet lost more weight, fat and liver fat when 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium was added than with the diet alone, with no adverse effects reported over seven weeks of treatment. The lead investigator founded Ridgeline Therapeutics, and a co-author was its paid employee. Sampson CM, et al. Combined nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition and reduced-calorie diet normalizes body composition and enhances metabolic benefits in obese mice. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):5637. PMID: 33707534.

All of this is preclinical, largely from one research group, and involves doses set per kilogram of animal body weight that do not translate to a capsule. NNMT also acts in the liver and in cancer biology, and the consequences of inhibiting it in humans over time have not been studied. None of the above is a claim about any product on this page.

Brands of 5-Amino-1MQ we stock

• Thoroughbred Labs 5-Amino-1MQ, 60 capsules. A third-party brand in capsule form, 60 capsules per pack. Thoroughbred Labs states 50 mg per capsule, which is 3,000 mg per pack. A batch certificate of analysis is shown only where Thoroughbred Labs supplies one for the batch we hold, and is not shown otherwise. View Thoroughbred Labs 5-Amino-1MQ.

At present this is the only single-compound 5-Amino-1MQ product we stock. Free Muscle does not make its own version. Other brands will be added to this page when held in stock, on the same terms.

How to compare them

Multiply the strength per capsule by the number of capsules to get total milligrams per pack, then divide the price by that figure for a cost per milligram. Where a listing does not state a strength, treat the pack as unquantified until you have seen the certificate, because a pack of 60 capsules can contain very different amounts of compound. Check who tested the batch, what method was used, whether the certificate covers identity as well as purity, and whether the batch number on the certificate matches the pack. Note also that 5-Amino-1MQ is a salt, so the certificate should say whether the stated weight refers to the salt or to the active cation.

The difference between forms is large. Molar masses from PubChem, checked in October 2026:

A gram of the iodide therefore holds about 0.56 g of the cation, and a gram of the chloride about 0.82 g, so compare listings on the same basis and ask which form a certificate's quantity refers to.

Batch testing and certificates of analysis

A certificate of analysis (COA) for a research compound reports identity, confirming that the material is 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium, and purity, the proportion of the sample that is the compound, typically by HPLC with mass spectrometry to confirm identity. A good certificate names the laboratory, method, batch number and date. Because this compound is a simple quinolinium salt, identity testing matters: related quinolinium compounds exist and would not be distinguished by appearance. Whichever salt was weighed, mass spectrometry sees the cation, at a mass-to-charge ratio of about 159 (the validated rat-plasma method monitored the 159.1 ion); a peptide-content figure is irrelevant to a small molecule like this.

For Thoroughbred Labs we show a certificate only where the manufacturer supplies one for the batch we hold. A generic PDF with no batch number, no date or no named laboratory is not a batch certificate. Free Muscle brand products are assayed by Janoshik Analytical for every batch, with certificates available by email on request. See our lab testing page for how to read one.

Where to buy 5-Amino-1MQ in the UK: how to check a supplier

Whichever shop you buy 5-Amino-1MQ from, check these five points before you order:

1. A batch number and a certificate for that batch. The pack should carry a batch number, and the seller should be able to show a certificate of analysis for that same batch from a named laboratory, with the test date. For Thoroughbred Labs, a certificate is shown where the brand supplies one for the batch we hold.
2. The strength per capsule and the capsule count. With both figures you can work out the total milligrams in the pack and the price per milligram. If a listing does not state one of them, ask the seller before you order.
3. Research-use labelling and an age check. A research compound should be sold for laboratory research use only, not for human consumption, to adults aged 18 or over, with no dosing or usage advice. That is how every listing here is sold.
4. Prices in pounds sterling and tracked UK dispatch. UK delivery from us is free and tracked on every order, with no minimum spend, and usually arrives 2-3 working days after dispatch; orders placed before 2pm Monday to Friday are processed the same working day.
5. A clear returns policy. Unopened items can be returned to us within 30 days.

Brand on this page: Thoroughbred Labs. The UK supplier checklist and how we test go into more detail.

Legal status in the UK

Status of 5-Amino-1MQ in the UK as of October 2026:

• Medicines: unlicensed in the UK, with no approval as a medicine in any country and no assessment by the MHRA.
• Controlled drugs: not listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
• Food: neither an authorised food supplement nor a permitted novel food.
• Clinical trials: no trial published, and none listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
• Sport: prohibited at all times as an unapproved substance under section S0 of the WADA Prohibited List (details below).
• Supply: available from Free Muscle for laboratory research, not for human consumption, and never to anyone under 18.

For sport, 5-Amino-1MQ does not appear by name on the 2026 WADA Prohibited List, which does not make it permitted: section S0 bans, at all times, pharmacological substances that are not addressed elsewhere on the List and lack current approval by any health authority for human therapeutic use, and no authority has approved 5-Amino-1MQ. We know of no published anti-doping detection study for it, although a validated LC-MS/MS assay for rat plasma and urine already exists. The List is revised every year, so anyone subject to anti-doping rules should also check with their governing body. Both compounds are compared at greater length in our SLU-PP-332 and 5-Amino-1MQ research guide.

Storage and handling

Keep the sealed container in a cool, dry spot shielded from light and heat, and close it again straight after opening. Leave the capsules in the labelled container so the batch number stays with them, follow good laboratory practice when handling them, and store them where children and animals cannot reach them.

Delivery and returns

Free Muscle is the trading name of FreeMuscle, a business registered in Andorra, with UK operations and dispatch in Scunthorpe. Every order ships with free tracked UK delivery in plain packaging. Orders placed before 2pm Monday to Friday are processed the same working day. EU delivery takes 3 to 7 working days. Unopened items can be returned within 30 days. Customers must be 18 or over. See shipping and our guarantee for the full terms.

Related reading

• SLU-PP-332 and 5-Amino-1MQ: what the mouse data show
• How to Read a Certificate of Analysis (COA)
• Price per milligram: the only honest way to compare
• How to choose a SARMs or peptide supplier in the UK: a checklist

Related collections: SLU-PP-332, Metabolic support, Cardarine (GW-501516), Thoroughbred Labs.

Research compounds sold by Free Muscle are supplied for laboratory research use only and are not for human consumption. They are not authorised as medicines by the MHRA, EMA or FDA, are not food supplements, and are sold only to adults aged 18 or over. Nothing on this page is medical or dosing advice.

Research guides

• SLU-PP-332 and 5-Amino-1MQ: what the mouse data show
• All research guides