5-Amino-1MQ vs Adipotide
Two fat-loss compounds that never reached approved human use. One has a clean mechanism and no data in people at all; the other has a dramatic primate result and a kidney-toxicity signal.
Short answer
5-Amino-1MQ and Adipotide are both graded preclinical / minimal, which leaves little or no controlled human data to choose between them. What does differ is access, since 5-Amino-1MQ is sold gray-market as a research chemical, while Adipotide is legitimately available only inside clinical trials. 5-Amino-1MQ is the one sold for fat loss and metabolism, while Adipotide targets rapid fat loss.
5-Amino-1MQ
An NNMT inhibitor that reverses obesity in mice by sparing the NAD+ pool; the mechanism is plausible, but the human evidence is nonexistent.
Full 5-Amino-1MQ evidence reviewAdipotide
FTPP
Destroyed white fat's blood supply and caused rapid weight loss in obese monkeys — but the same study found dose-dependent kidney toxicity, and it never reached approved human use.
Full Adipotide evidence review5-Amino-1MQ vs Adipotide: head to head
- FDA status / approved use
5-Amino-1MQ
Sold as a research chemical; not an approved medicineAdipotide
Never reached approved human use; sold online as unregulated gray-market material- Marketed for
5-Amino-1MQ
Fat loss, metabolismAdipotide
Rapid fat loss- Outcome areas
5-Amino-1MQ
Weight loss / appetite; Mitochondrial / cellular energyAdipotide
Weight loss / appetite- Evidence grade
5-Amino-1MQ
Preclinical / minimalAdipotide
Preclinical / minimal- How it works
5-Amino-1MQ
Small molecule that inhibits NNMT, an enzyme that wastes NAD+ building blocksAdipotide
Homes to blood vessels feeding white fat and triggers their cell death- Route and dosing
5-Amino-1MQ
Not establishedAdipotide
Injection; no established human dose- Headline human result
5-Amino-1MQ
Not establishedAdipotide
Not established- Strongest evidence
5-Amino-1MQ
Neelakantan, Biochem Pharmacol 2018. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use5-Amino-1MQ evidence reviewPubMed 29155147Adipotide
Barnhart, Sci Transl Med 2011. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed useAdipotide evidence reviewPubMed 22072637- Key safety signal
5-Amino-1MQ
No human safety data, no human dosing and no human pharmacokineticsAdipotide
Dose-dependent kidney (proximal-tubule) toxicity in monkeys; no completed human safety trials- How it is obtained
5-Amino-1MQ
Sold gray-market as a research chemical; no approved or legitimately compounded human productAdipotide
Legitimately available only inside clinical trials; vials sold online are gray-market research chemicals
| 5-Amino-1MQ | Adipotide | |
|---|---|---|
| FDA status / approved use | Sold as a research chemical; not an approved medicine | Never reached approved human use; sold online as unregulated gray-market material |
| Marketed for | Fat loss, metabolism | Rapid fat loss |
| Outcome areas | Weight loss / appetite; Mitochondrial / cellular energy | Weight loss / appetite |
| Evidence grade | Preclinical / minimal | Preclinical / minimal |
| How it works | Small molecule that inhibits NNMT, an enzyme that wastes NAD+ building blocks | Homes to blood vessels feeding white fat and triggers their cell death |
| Route and dosing | Not established | Injection; no established human dose |
| Headline human result | Not established | Not established |
| Strongest evidence | Neelakantan, Biochem Pharmacol 2018. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use5-Amino-1MQ evidence reviewPubMed 29155147 | Barnhart, Sci Transl Med 2011. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed useAdipotide evidence reviewPubMed 22072637 |
| Key safety signal | No human safety data, no human dosing and no human pharmacokinetics | Dose-dependent kidney (proximal-tubule) toxicity in monkeys; no completed human safety trials |
| How it is obtained | Sold gray-market as a research chemical; no approved or legitimately compounded human product | Legitimately available only inside clinical trials; vials sold online are gray-market research chemicals |
marks a row where the two differ. “Not established” marks a cell the available evidence does not answer. Evidence grades come from our evidence matrix, which grades each molecule on the human data for the use it is marketed for.
- Preclinical / minimal:
- Evidence is largely animal, in-vitro, or anecdotal. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use.
Our verdict
Neither has been studied in a registered human clinical trial, so neither has human efficacy, safety, dosing, or pharmacokinetic data. 5-Amino-1MQ is an NNMT inhibitor that reduced body weight and fat mass in diet-induced obese mice without reducing food intake by sparing the cellular NAD+ and methyl pool; the mechanism is plausible and every human claim attached to it is extrapolation. Adipotide went further in animals, producing rapid weight loss, marked white-fat reduction on imaging, and improved insulin resistance in obese rhesus monkeys, but the same study documented dose-dependent, treatment-related changes in renal proximal-tubule function, described as reversible at the doses tested and still a clear organ-toxicity signal. Adipotide is investigational, never advanced into approved human use, and both are sold as unregulated research chemicals.
5-Amino-1MQ fits if
5-Amino-1MQ is the one to watch if you follow NAD+ and methylation biology and want a mechanism that is interesting without a documented organ-toxicity flag.
Adipotide fits if
Adipotide is worth reading only as a cautionary case, where the most dramatic preclinical fat-loss result here came attached to kidney toxicity in the very same study.
5-Amino-1MQ vs Adipotide: common questions
- Is either 5-Amino-1MQ or Adipotide FDA-approved?
- No. 5-Amino-1MQ is sold as a research chemical; not an approved medicine. Adipotide never reached approved human use; sold online as unregulated gray-market material.
- Which has stronger human evidence, 5-Amino-1MQ or Adipotide?
- Neither. Both are graded preclinical / minimal, with little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use. The key source for 5-Amino-1MQ is Neelakantan, Biochem Pharmacol 2018; for Adipotide, it is Barnhart, Sci Transl Med 2011.
- What are the main safety concerns with 5-Amino-1MQ and Adipotide?
- 5-Amino-1MQ has no human safety data, no human dosing and no human pharmacokinetics. For Adipotide, watch for dose-dependent kidney (proximal-tubule) toxicity in monkeys; no completed human safety trials.
Key studies behind each
5-Amino-1MQ
- Neelakantan H, Vance V, Wetzel MD, et al. (2018). Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice. Biochem Pharmacol. PubMed 29155147
- Babula JJ, Bui D, Stevenson HL, et al. (2024). Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibition mitigates obesity-related metabolic dysfunction. Diabetes Obes Metab. PubMed 39161060
- Awosemo O, Neelakantan H, Watowich S, et al. (2021). 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. PubMed 34304009
- Neelakantan H, Brightwell CR, Graber TG, et al. (2019). Small molecule nicotinamide N-methyltransferase inhibitor activates senescent muscle stem cells and improves regenerative capacity of aged skeletal muscle. Biochem Pharmacol. PubMed 30753815
Adipotide
- Barnhart KF, Christianson DR, Hanley PW, et al. (2011). A peptidomimetic targeting white fat causes weight loss and improved insulin resistance in obese monkeys. Sci Transl Med. PubMed 22072637
- Kolonin MG, Saha PK, Chan L, Pasqualini R, Arap W. (2004). Reversal of obesity by targeted ablation of adipose tissue. Nat Med. PubMed 15133506
- Kim DH, Sartor MA, Bain JR, et al. (2012). Rapid and weight-independent improvement of glucose tolerance induced by a peptide designed to elicit apoptosis in adipose tissue endothelium. Diabetes. PubMed 22733798
The full evidence reviews
- 5-Amino-1MQ: an elegant mechanism with no human trials
An NNMT inhibitor that reverses obesity in mice by sparing the NAD+ pool — without reducing food intake. The mechanism is plausible; the human evidence is nonexistent.
Updated August 2026
- Adipotide: the “fat-targeting” peptide that worked in monkeys — and damaged their kidneys
Adipotide (FTPP / a prohibitin-targeting peptide) destroyed white fat’s blood supply and caused rapid weight loss in obese rhesus monkeys — but the same study found dose-dependent kidney toxicity, and it never reached approved human use. The honest evidence, and the gray-market caveat.
Updated August 2026
Where to get it
Where to get peptide therapy
Clinician-led telehealth services that prescribe compounded peptides. The specific peptides offered vary by provider — confirm 5-Amino-1MQ availability before ordering.
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