You will have heard of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), an organosulfur compound, as a treatment for joint ache or irritation. DMSO is produced each naturally and synthetically. It is present in hint quantities in sure meals and broadly used as a solvent in scientific analysis and industrial processes resulting from its potential to dissolve natural compounds.
In drugs, DMSO is used as a topical ache reliever and anti inflammatory agent. It’s permitted by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration for the therapy of interstitial cystitis, also referred to as bladder ache syndrome, a continual situation that causes bladder ache, strain and discomfort.1
DMSO can be used as a cryoprotectant to stop cell injury throughout freezing.2 This compound exhibits promise for benefitting many well being circumstances, nevertheless it has a fancy relationship along with your cells. Current analysis on yeast cells, for example, reveals that DMSO’s results rely closely on focus and publicity time, influencing whether or not the compound is therapeutic or dangerous.3
DMSO: A Mobile Stressor That Builds Resilience
At low and reasonable ranges, DMSO prompts mobile stress responses that increase your resilience. Nonetheless, at larger concentrations or with extended publicity, it impairs cell progress and will even show poisonous. Too little DMSO did not set off the response, whereas an excessive amount of overwhelmed the cells’ defenses.
The important thing lies in how DMSO interacts with cell membranes and vitality manufacturing. Brief-term publicity to reasonable DMSO ranges did not considerably injury yeast cell membranes or scale back their metabolic exercise.4 But it surely did set off stress response genes, priming cells to raised deal with future threats, explaining a few of DMSO’s protecting results.
The examine discovered that DMSO activated yeast cells’ environmental stress response (ESR) program at sure concentrations. This mobile alarm system, triggered by numerous delicate stresses, prepares cells to raised deal with future, probably extra extreme challenges.
It’s kind of like how train stresses your physique within the brief time period however in the end makes you stronger. This stress response activation helps clarify why DMSO is useful in cryopreservation or as a protecting agent towards radiation injury.
At larger doses although, DMSO started to intrude with cell division and survival. Your cells’ most popular vitality supply performs a surprisingly essential position in how properly they tolerate DMSO. The examine discovered that yeast cells utilizing primarily cardio respiration, which depends closely on oxygen, had been most delicate to DMSO’s poisonous results. In distinction, cells utilizing fermentation or a mixture of fermentation and respiration fared higher.
This distinction doubtless stems from how DMSO interacts with mitochondria, your cell’s energy vegetation. Cells with extremely lively mitochondria are extra susceptible to elements that disrupt their delicate steadiness, together with DMSO at larger doses. The compound might destabilize mitochondrial membranes, resulting in elevated manufacturing of dangerous reactive oxygen species (ROS).
The researchers discovered that decreasing oxygen ranges within the yeast’s surroundings elevated their DMSO tolerance throughout the board. This means that DMSO’s results are carefully tied to oxygen-dependent processes in your cells.
An Ally within the Battle In opposition to Most cancers
Research reveal DMSO has one other surprising profit: preventing most cancers. Researchers investigated DMSO’s affect on each leukemia cells (representing blood cancers) and epithelial most cancers cells (representing strong tumors).5 They discovered that DMSO considerably inhibited cell progress in all examined most cancers cell traces, together with MV4-11 and TF-1a leukemia cells, in addition to Hep-G2 liver most cancers cells and MCF7 breast most cancers cells.
This inhibition was each dose and time-dependent, with noticeable results beginning at concentrations as little as 2% DMSO. At 10% DMSO, progress inhibition reached as much as 69% in some cell traces after 72 hours of publicity. This means DMSO could possibly be used as a focused remedy to decelerate or cease most cancers progress.
The examine did not simply cease at observing progress inhibition — it explored how DMSO impacts most cancers cells. Utilizing a trypan blue assay, which distinguishes between stay and useless cells, the researchers discovered that 5% DMSO elevated cell dying charges from about 2% to three% to fifteen% to 19% in leukemia cells after 48 hours. This means that DMSO is not simply slowing most cancers cell division; it is actively killing these dangerous cells.6
Beneath the microscope, DMSO-treated most cancers cells confirmed vital modifications in morphology. The cells shrank, their density decreased and, most significantly, their nuclei started to fragment. These nuclear fragments, seen as a number of dots inside nondividing cells, are a trademark of apoptosis, or programmed cell dying.
The upper the DMSO focus, the extra pronounced these results turned. Even the adherent epithelial most cancers cells, which usually type a easy monolayer in tradition, started to detach and cluster when uncovered to DMSO. These observations recommend that DMSO could possibly be triggering the most cancers cells’ built-in self-destruct mechanisms.
DMSO Prompts Most cancers Cells’ Self-Destruct Sequence
Digging deeper into the molecular mechanisms, the researchers uncovered how DMSO units off a cascade of occasions resulting in most cancers cell dying. They discovered that DMSO considerably decreased ranges of CDK2 and cyclin A — essential proteins that regulate cell division. The CDK2-cyclin A fancy, which performs a key position in driving cells from one part of the cell cycle to the following, was significantly affected.7
By disrupting these regulators, DMSO successfully places the brakes on most cancers cell proliferation. However maybe most tellingly, DMSO triggered DNA fragmentation within the handled most cancers cells. That is thought-about a definitive signal of apoptosis, because it represents the cell systematically destroying its personal genetic materials. The researchers confirmed this by detecting elevated ranges of activated caspase 3, an enzyme central to the execution of apoptosis.
Apparently, they did not see activation of caspase 9, suggesting that DMSO triggers apoptosis by the extrinsic pathway reasonably than the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. This particular mechanism could possibly be essential in growing focused most cancers therapies that do not hurt wholesome cells.
The examine means that even at comparatively low concentrations, DMSO has profound results on most cancers cell well being and survival. Furthermore, as a result of DMSO is already broadly used and well-tolerated in lots of medical contexts, it might probably be fast-tracked for most cancers therapy research.
DMSO Improves Visible Perform in Alzheimer’s Mannequin
Early animal research raised some issues about DMSO inflicting eye issues, significantly affecting the lens. These findings weren’t discovered to translate to people,8 nevertheless, and up to date analysis affords a extra reassuring perspective for these contemplating DMSO as a part of their well being routine.
Analysis utilizing a mouse mannequin of Alzheimer’s revealed that DMSO, even at very low concentrations, considerably improves visible perform.9 The examine centered on 5xFAD mice, that are genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s-like signs. These mice usually expertise a decline in distinction sensitivity, an essential side of imaginative and prescient that is additionally affected in human Alzheimer’s sufferers.
Remarkably, when handled with simply .01% DMSO of their consuming water, the mice confirmed a marked enchancment of their distinction sensitivity. This enchancment was similar to the consequences seen with R-carvedilol, a drug particularly being investigated for Alzheimer’s therapy.
The truth that such a low dose of DMSO might produce these advantages is especially intriguing, because it suggests DMSO’s therapeutic results might have been underestimated in earlier analysis the place it was used merely as a car for different medicine.
Early Intervention Potential with DMSO
The examine’s findings level to DMSO’s antioxidant properties as a mechanism for its helpful results. DMSO is well-known as a robust scavenger of hydroxyl free radicals, which contribute to oxidative stress, an element within the improvement and development of Alzheimer’s illness. The researchers noticed that DMSO therapy corrected abnormalities within the retina which might be related to oxidative stress.
Particularly, they discovered that DMSO normalized the thickness of a specific layer within the retina (the ELM-RPE layer) that turns into contracted within the presence of oxidative stress. This correction means that DMSO is actively combating oxidative injury within the retinal tissue. On condition that your retina is basically an extension of your mind, these findings indicate that DMSO could possibly be offering comparable protecting results all through the central nervous system.
That is significantly thrilling as a result of oxidative stress is believed to be one of many earliest occasions within the improvement of Alzheimer’s, occurring even earlier than the looks of attribute amyloid plaques and tau tangles.
Given these findings, there’s potential for DMSO as an early intervention in Alzheimer’s illness. The examine centered on comparatively younger mice (4 months outdated) that had been simply starting to point out indicators of visible impairment.10 The truth that DMSO was in a position to enhance perform at this early stage suggests it could possibly be significantly useful as a preventative measure or early therapy.
Early intervention is essential in Alzheimer’s illness, as by the point cognitive signs change into obvious, vital mind injury has typically already occurred. If DMSO will help shield towards oxidative stress and keep neuronal well being from the earliest phases of the illness course of, it might gradual and even stop the development to full-blown Alzheimer’s.
Furthermore, the security profile of DMSO at low doses is well-established, making it a gorgeous choice for long-term use in at-risk people.
Past the Mind: DMSO’s Wider Implications
Whereas this examine centered on visible perform and retinal well being, its implications attain far past Alzheimer’s illness. The protecting results of DMSO noticed within the retina prolong to different tissues and organs all through your physique. Oxidative stress is implicated in a variety of age-related circumstances, from heart problems to arthritis.
As an illustration, DMSO is carefully associated to a different compound that might profit your joint well being: methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). DMSO is a precursor to MSM, and each compounds share comparable sulfur-based constructions. Like DMSO, MSM has been proven to have vital anti-inflammatory results, particularly for joint ache. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Japan explored the consequences of MSM on delicate knee joint ache in wholesome people.11
Individuals who took 2 grams of MSM each day for 12 weeks skilled vital enhancements of their knee well being in comparison with these taking a placebo. The examine used a complete measure of knee well being (the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure) and located that MSM not solely improved knee-specific signs but in addition enhanced general well being circumstances.
This analysis suggests the sulfur-containing compounds in each DMSO and MSM might supply a spread of well being advantages, from neuroprotection to joint ache reduction.
On condition that DMSO might be transformed to MSM in your physique, utilizing DMSO may present a number of the joint well being advantages related to MSM, along with its neuroprotective results and anti inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. These actions make DMSO an intriguing compound for general well being upkeep as you age.
DMSO’s potential to inhibit and kill a spread of micro organism — even at low concentrations — has additionally been identified for many years. Researchers examined DMSO towards a number of bacterial strains, together with Staphylococcus aureus, β-hemolytic streptococci, Corynebacterium acnes, Escherichia coli and Proteus species.12
They discovered {that a} 20% focus of DMSO was sufficient to inhibit the expansion of all these micro organism. So, even at comparatively low concentrations, DMSO can successfully cease bacterial copy.
DMSO Dangers, Dosing Recommendations and Different Issues
Whereas DMSO exhibits promising advantages, it is essential to method its use with warning and consciousness. As with every complement or therapy, DMSO has unintended effects and contraindications that you just want to pay attention to. The commonest aspect impact is a garlic-like style or breath odor, which happens as a result of DMSO breaks down into dimethyl sulfide in your physique. Some folks may additionally expertise pores and skin irritation when DMSO is utilized topically.
DMSO additionally will increase the absorption of different substances by your pores and skin, amplifying the consequences of medicines. This implies it’s essential to watch out about what comes into contact along with your pores and skin when utilizing DMSO topically. It is also essential to notice that DMSO interacts with sure drugs, together with blood thinners and steroids.
Moreover, excessive concentrations might trigger liver injury if used improperly. Pregnant ladies and people with liver illness ought to use warning when contemplating DMSO. As at all times, I like to recommend consulting with a holistic well being care practitioner to find out if DMSO is best for you.
Correct product choice and dosing are key to getting the most effective outcomes. A Midwestern Physician recommends searching for DMSO that has not less than 99.9% purity and, if liquid, is saved in glass. For topical dosing, begin with 70% and dilute it 50/50 with water. Step by step work your means as much as the full-strength product so long as no pores and skin irritation happens. You may as well progress to a 100% DMSO product in case you have thick scars or are utilizing it for particular well being circumstances.
For oral dosage, a typical beginning dose is 0.5 to 1 teaspoon (of 70% or 100%). You might steadily improve the dose so long as you might be tolerating it properly. The utmost protected dosage is up for debate, however typically 3 teaspoons is taken into account the higher restrict. Remember that since DMSO has an disagreeable style, you’ll doubtless wish to combine it with milk or juice when consuming it orally. You’ll want to combine it properly so the DMSO doesn’t settle on the backside.
Keep in mind, whereas DMSO exhibits promise, it is not a miracle remedy. It ought to be thought-about as a part of a holistic method to well being, together with a nutrient-dense weight loss program, common train, stress administration and different life-style elements that help your general well-being. Used responsibly and beneath correct steering, DMSO could possibly be a useful software in your well being arsenal, significantly for its antioxidant, neuroprotective, anticancer and anti inflammatory properties.
