5-Amino-1MQ is not a peptide but a small molecule, included in research catalogs because it inhibits an enzyme sitting at a control point in NAD+ metabolism.

What Is 5-Amino-1MQ?

5-Amino-1-methylquinolinium is a small quinolinium compound investigated as a selective inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT). Being a small molecule rather than a peptide, it has different handling characteristics from most compounds in this catalog.

What NNMT Does

NNMT catalyses the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine to nicotinamide, producing 1-methylnicotinamide. This reaction has two consequences that make the enzyme interesting.

First, it removes nicotinamide from the NAD+ salvage pathway. Nicotinamide is the principal substrate cells recycle to resynthesise NAD+, so methylating it diverts material away from NAD+ synthesis. High NNMT activity therefore constrains the NAD+ pool.

Second, it consumes S-adenosylmethionine, the universal methyl donor used in DNA and histone methylation. NNMT activity thus intersects with epigenetic regulation as well as metabolism.

How Researchers Understand Its Mechanism

5-Amino-1MQ acts as a competitive inhibitor at the NNMT active site. In vitro work has measured its inhibitory constant and examined the downstream consequences: increased cellular nicotinamide, increased NAD+ concentrations, and altered S-adenosylmethionine availability.

Because it acts on an enzyme with a defined reaction rather than on a receptor, its mechanism is more directly measurable than that of most research peptides — enzyme kinetics can be characterised quantitatively in cell-free systems.

Areas of Scientific Investigation

Applications include NNMT enzyme inhibition assays, NAD+ salvage pathway research, methyltransferase and one-carbon metabolism studies, adipocyte metabolism models, and methyltransferase research examining methyl donor availability.

Why Purity and Verification Matter

Reproducibility in peptide research depends on knowing exactly what is in the vial. Sequence-related impurities, truncated fragments and residual synthesis reagents can all influence experimental outcomes, and two preparations nominally of the same compound can behave differently if purity differs. Independent HPLC and mass spectrometry testing establishes both identity and purity, which is why third-party verification is standard practice for research-grade material. All compounds referenced here are supplied as lyophilized powder at 99%+ purity with independent verification.

Summary

5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule NNMT inhibitor used to probe the intersection of NAD+ salvage and methyl donor metabolism. Because NNMT consumes both nicotinamide and S-adenosylmethionine, inhibiting it affects metabolic and epigenetic pathways simultaneously. It is intended strictly for laboratory research.

Related Research Compounds

5-Amino-1MQ 10mg · 5-Amino-1MQ 50mg · NAD+ 500mg · NAD+ 1000mg · MOTS-C 10mg

For laboratory and research use only. Not for human or veterinary use, and not for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.