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Metabolic / Research Compound

5-Amino-1MQ Half-Life: Not Established in Humans — NNMT Inhibitor & Evidence Review

Also known as: 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium · 5A1MQ · 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium chloride

Animal Study Only· No published human pharmacokinetic data. Primary ref: Kannt A et al. Sci Rep 2018 (PMID 29321551)
⚠ Data Quality Disclosure: No published human pharmacokinetic study for 5-amino-1MQ has been identified as of May 2026. All pharmacokinetic parameters on this page are either absent (human) or derived from animal studies (mice). Half-life values circulating in online research communities are not sourced from published human data and should not be used for dosing or safety decisions.

Quick Reference — 5-Amino-1MQ Pharmacokinetics

ParameterValueSource
Elimination Half-Life (Human)Not established — no published human PK study
Elimination Half-Life (Animal)Not reported in Kannt et al. 2018Kannt A et al. 2018[1]
Time to Peak (Tmax)No published human data
BioavailabilityNo published human data
Plasma Protein BindingNo published data
Route of Administration (Animal Studies)Subcutaneous (murine models)Kannt A et al. 2018[1]
Molecular Weight~174 DaPubChem CID 11988697
Full Clearance (5 × t½)Cannot be calculated — human t½ unknown
FDA Approval StatusNot approved
Data QualityAnimal Study — no published human PK study identified as of May 2026
Reviewed by Halflife Labs Medical Review Team · Last reviewed May 2026 · Evidence level Animal Study · Methodology →

What Is the Half-Life of 5-Amino-1MQ?

No published human pharmacokinetic study for 5-amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) has been identified as of May 2026. The plasma half-life in humans is unknown. The primary published study — Kannt et al. (2018) in Scientific Reports — is a murine study that characterized the pharmacodynamic effects of 5-amino-1MQ on adipocyte size in diet-induced obese mice but did not report formal pharmacokinetic parameters including half-life.[1]

5-Amino-1MQ is a small aromatic amine with molecular weight of approximately 174 Da (as the free base). Based on structural features alone — small size, aromatic ring, basic nitrogen — one would expect reasonable oral bioavailability and hepatic metabolism, but this is an inference from chemistry, not from published human or animal ADME data. No clinically actionable half-life value can be stated.

How Might 5-Amino-1MQ's Half-Life Be Measured (If Studied)?

A human pharmacokinetic characterization of 5-amino-1MQ would require an IND-enabled Phase 1 trial with serial blood sampling following single- and multiple-dose administration. LC-MS/MS assay development for plasma quantification of the quinolinium cation would be necessary. To date, no such study has been published in peer-reviewed literature or registered in ClinicalTrials.gov as of the review date for this page.[1]

Plasma Half-Life vs Biological Effect Duration

For NNMT inhibitors, the plasma half-life is likely to be shorter than the biological effect duration, because the downstream consequences of NNMT inhibition — shifts in the SAM:SAH ratio, changes in histone methylation patterns, altered adipogenic gene expression — may persist after the compound has cleared from plasma. This is analogous to other enzyme inhibitors where the pharmacodynamic effect outlasts plasma exposure. However, this is a mechanistic inference; no quantitative data exists to compare plasma clearance against cellular effect duration for 5-amino-1MQ in any species.

How Long Does 5-Amino-1MQ Stay in Your System?

This cannot be answered with published data. No human or animal pharmacokinetic study has characterized the clearance timeline for 5-amino-1MQ. A clearance timeline table (1–5 half-lives) is not presented here because there is no validated half-life value from which to calculate it. Presenting such a table would require fabricating data, which Halflife Labs' editorial policy prohibits.

If a human half-life were to be established in future clinical research, this section will be updated with a full clearance timeline based on that primary data.

Dosing Implications

Because no human PK data exists, no evidence-based dosing frequency recommendation can be made for 5-amino-1MQ. Any dosing protocol described by sellers, forums, or research communities is extrapolated from the murine study dose (which used ~100 mg/kg SC in mice — a dose that cannot be directly scaled to humans without allometric adjustment and safety validation).[1]

5-Amino-1MQ vs Other Metabolic Research Compounds

CompoundMechanismHuman PK Data?Primary EvidenceStatus
5-Amino-1MQNNMT inhibitorNoMurine adipocyte studyNot FDA-approved
SLU-PP-332ERR agonist (exercise mimetic)NoMurine endurance studyNot FDA-approved
MK-677 (Ibutamoren)GH secretagogue (oral)Yes — human PK studiesHuman PK studies; t½ ~6 hNot FDA-approved
TirzepatideGIP/GLP-1R dual agonistYes — Human RCTFDA NDA 215866; t½ ~5 daysFDA-approved

Pharmacokinetics by Route of Administration

RouteHalf-LifeBioavailabilityNotes
Subcutaneous (murine studies)Not reportedNot reportedRoute used in Kannt et al. 2018; no formal PK reported
Oral (human)No published dataNo published dataSmall MW suggests potential oral absorption; not validated
IntravenousNo published data100% (definitional)No published study in any species

Detection Window

Standard Drug Test Panels

5-Amino-1MQ is not included in any standard workplace, military, or forensic drug panel. It is not a controlled substance in the United States.[1]

Specialized Testing

No published forensic detection study for 5-amino-1MQ in urine or blood has been identified. Detection in biological samples would require validated LC-MS/MS methods specific to the quinolinium structure, which have not been reported in the peer-reviewed literature as of May 2026.

Mechanism — How Does 5-Amino-1MQ Work?

5-Amino-1MQ inhibits NNMT — nicotinamide N-methyltransferase — a cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the N-methylation of nicotinamide (NAM) using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as the methyl donor, producing 1-methylnicotinamide (MNA) and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH).[1]

NNMT serves as a metabolic sink for both NAD+ precursors and methyl groups. In white adipose tissue, NNMT expression is elevated in obesity. High NNMT activity: (1) consumes NAM, reducing flux through the NAD+ salvage pathway (NAM → NMN → NAD+) and potentially lowering cellular NAD+ levels in adipocytes; and (2) depletes the methyl donor SAM while accumulating SAH, which inhibits most methyltransferases including histone methyltransferases — effectively reducing histone H3K4me3 marks associated with genes promoting adipocyte differentiation and lipid storage.[1]

By inhibiting NNMT, 5-amino-1MQ theoretically reverses both effects: restoring NAD+ salvage flux and restoring SAM availability for other methylation reactions. In Kannt et al. (2018), DIO mice treated with 5-amino-1MQ showed reduced adipocyte cell size (not count) and attenuated body weight gain compared to vehicle-treated controls. The effect was modest and the study did not characterize dose-response, duration-response, or mechanisms beyond histological adipocyte size measurement.[1]

It is important to note that: (a) reduced adipocyte size in mice does not directly translate to human weight loss; (b) the translational relevance of NNMT inhibition in human obesity has not been validated in any published clinical trial; (c) NNMT is expressed in many tissues beyond adipose (liver, brain, kidney), and systemic inhibition could have off-target consequences that have not been characterized in safety studies.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the half-life of 5-amino-1MQ?
The half-life of 5-amino-1MQ in humans has not been established. No published human pharmacokinetic study exists as of May 2026. All available data is from murine studies; the primary published reference (Kannt et al. 2018, PMID 29321551) did not report pharmacokinetic parameters. Any half-life value cited online for 5-amino-1MQ is not sourced from peer-reviewed human or animal PK data. Source: Kannt A et al. Sci Rep 2018 (PMID 29321551).
How long does 5-amino-1MQ stay in your system?
Unknown — no human or animal clearance data has been published for 5-amino-1MQ. A clearance timeline cannot be calculated without a validated half-life estimate. No published human PK study has characterized the absorption, distribution, metabolism, or elimination of this compound. Source: No human PK study identified as of May 2026.
How does 5-amino-1MQ's half-life affect dosing frequency?
Because no human pharmacokinetic data exists for 5-amino-1MQ, no evidence-based dosing frequency recommendation can be made. Dosing protocols circulating in online research communities are extrapolated from the murine study dose and have not been validated in human trials. Source: Kannt A et al. Sci Rep 2018 (PMID 29321551).
Can 5-amino-1MQ be detected on a drug test?
5-Amino-1MQ is not included in standard WADA, SAMHSA, or workplace drug panels. No published detection methodology for 5-amino-1MQ in human biological samples has been identified. It is not a controlled substance in the United States as of May 2026. Source: No published detection study identified.
What is the difference between 5-amino-1MQ's plasma half-life and its biological effect duration?
Because no plasma half-life data exists for 5-amino-1MQ in any species, this comparison cannot be quantified. Mechanistically, NNMT inhibition alters intracellular SAM:SAH ratios and histone methylation patterns — effects that may outlast plasma drug clearance. But no published data quantifies this relationship. Source: Kannt A et al. Sci Rep 2018 (PMID 29321551).
How does 5-amino-1MQ compare to other NNMT inhibitors?
5-Amino-1MQ is the most-published NNMT inhibitor in the obesity literature, though the evidence base is limited to one primary murine study (Kannt et al. 2018). Other NNMT inhibitors remain entirely in early preclinical stages with no published human data. No head-to-head comparisons exist. Source: Kannt A et al. Sci Rep 2018 (PMID 29321551).
What evidence exists for 5-amino-1MQ in weight loss?
The primary published evidence is Kannt et al. (2018), which demonstrated reduced adipocyte cell size and attenuated body weight gain in diet-induced obese mice treated with subcutaneous 5-amino-1MQ. No published human clinical trial has assessed 5-amino-1MQ for weight loss or any other indication. Extrapolating mouse adipocyte results to human weight loss is not scientifically supported by current evidence. Source: Kannt A et al. Sci Rep 2018 (PMID 29321551).
Is 5-amino-1MQ FDA-approved?
No. 5-Amino-1MQ is not FDA-approved for any indication. It has not completed human clinical trials and has no publicly listed IND application. It is not approved for human therapeutic use in the United States or any major regulatory jurisdiction as of May 2026. It is a research compound with animal-only published evidence.

References

  1. Kannt A, Pfenninger A, Teichert L, Tönjes A, Dietrich A, Schön MR, Klöting N, Blüher M. Association of nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase mRNA expression in human adipose tissue and the plasma concentration of its product, 1-methylnicotinamide, with insulin resistance. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):408. PMID 29321551. PMC PMC5762780

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