5-Amino-1MQ side effects and results in studies
No human side-effect data exist for 5-Amino-1MQ in the records on file; the one safety observation is that NNMT inhibitors caused no observable adverse effects or change in food intake in obese mice. The measured results are preclinical: lower weight and fat gain, better glucose tolerance and liver measures in obese mice, and better muscle regeneration in aged mice.
What are the reported benefits of 5-Amino-1MQ? The results on record come from mice, rats and cultured cells, not people. In diet-induced obese mice given 5A1MQ once daily for 28 days, Babula et al. found dose-dependent limits on body weight and fat mass gain, better oral glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and suppressed hyperinsulinaemia. The same mice had less fatty liver, lower liver triglycerides and liver weight, and normalised ALT, AST and ketone bodies.
Earlier work from Neelakantan et al. tested a series of methylquinolinium NNMT inhibitors. In cultured fat cells they lowered the NNMT product 1-methylnicotinamide, raised NAD+ and SAM, and suppressed lipogenesis. In obese mice a potent member of the series reduced body weight, white fat mass, fat cell size and plasma total cholesterol. The abstract does not name which compound was used in the mice.
What about muscle? In 24-month-old mice with an injured tibialis anterior muscle, an NNMT inhibitor from the same group at 5 or 10 mg/kg increased muscle stem cell proliferation and fusion. Treated muscle had nearly twice the myofiber cross-sectional area and about 70% greater peak torque than controls. A separate 2025 study in a mouse model of peripheral artery disease used an unnamed NNMT inhibitor and reported better strength, power and total work in the ischaemic limb, with no change in blood flow recovery or muscle mass.
Other findings are narrower. With a low-fat diet, 5-amino-1MQ was associated with a distinct gut microbiome in obese mice. In bladder cancer mouse models, 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide reduced tumour growth and added to the effect of an anti-PD-L1 antibody. In HeLa cervical cancer cells, 5MQ slowed proliferation without apparently affecting HEK-293 cells.
What side effects have been reported? Very little has been measured. Neelakantan et al. reported no change in total food intake and no observable adverse effects in treated obese mice. That is an absence of obvious harm in a short animal study, not a safety profile. A 2026 review of NNMT inhibitors lists unknown safety profiles among the reasons the class has had limited preclinical success.
Adverse events reported
| Event | As reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Observable adverse effects (obese mice, NNMT inhibitor series) | None observed; total food intake unchanged | Neelakantan H et al. |
| Liver enzymes ALT and AST (obese mice, 5A1MQ, 28 days) | Normalised compared with vehicle-treated obese mice | Babula JJ et al. |
| Effect on non-cancer cells (HEK-293, 5MQ in vitro) | Proliferation not apparently affected at concentrations that inhibited HeLa cells | Akar S et al. |
Outcomes measured
| Outcome | Result as reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Body weight and fat mass gain (obese mice, 5A1MQ, 28 days) | Dose-dependently limited | Babula JJ et al. |
| Glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and hyperinsulinaemia (obese mice) | Oral glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity improved; hyperinsulinaemia suppressed | Babula JJ et al. |
| Hepatic steatosis and liver triglycerides (obese mice) | Steatosis and macrophage infiltration attenuated; liver weight, size and triglycerides reduced | Babula JJ et al. |
| Body weight, white fat mass, adipocyte size and plasma cholesterol (obese mice, inhibitor series) | All reduced | Neelakantan H et al. |
| 1-MNA, NAD+ and SAM, lipogenesis (cultured adipocytes) | 1-MNA reduced, NAD+ and SAM increased, lipogenesis suppressed | Neelakantan H et al. |
| Myofiber cross-sectional area (aged mice after injury) | Nearly 2-fold greater than controls | Neelakantan H et al. |
| Peak torque of injured tibialis anterior (aged mice) | About 70% higher than controls | Neelakantan H et al. |
| Muscle strength, power and total work (mouse hindlimb ischaemia, unnamed NNMT inhibitor, n=24) | Improved versus placebo; perfusion recovery, capillary density and muscle mass unchanged | PMID 41108586 |
| Caecal microbiome (obese mice on low-fat diet) | Distinct pattern: less Erysipelatoclostridium, more Lactobacillus than vehicle | Dimet-Wiley A et al. |
| Tumour growth (bladder cancer mouse models) | Reduced; apoptotic effect of anti-PD-L1 antibody enhanced | Yang M et al. |
| HeLa cell proliferation (5MQ 0.1–500 µM) | Inhibited in a concentration- and time-dependent manner | Akar S et al. |
What the studies don't show
There is no human evidence on file, so none of these results can be read as effects in people. Most studies are short, several do not state dose or duration, and two of the muscle and obesity studies do not name the exact inhibitor. Adverse events were barely measured, so the absence of reported harm is not evidence of safety.