Implications of Indolethylamine N-Methyltransferase (INMT) in Health and Disease: Biological Functions, Disease Associations, Inhibitors, and Analytical Approaches.
Brain sciences August 28, 2025 Seif Abouheif, Ahmed Awad, Christopher R. McCurdy 1 citation
Indolethylamine N-methyltransferase (INMT) is an enzyme that adds a methyl group to compounds such as tryptamine, serotonin, and dopamine. Dysregulation of INMT activity is linked to neuropsychiatric disorders, neurodegeneration, and several cancers. This review describes the enzyme's structure, its role in disease, and methods to measure its activity, including both radiolabeled and non-radiolabeled assays. It also surveys natural and synthetic inhibitors of INMT that may have therapeutic value. The authors argue that INMT is an underexplored target for drug development and that integrating structural biology, disease pathology, and inhibitor profiling could advance therapeutic applications.