Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is an organosulfur compound with the formula (CH3)2SO. This colorless liquid is an important polar aprotic solvent that dissolves both polar and nonpolar compounds and is miscible in a wide range of organic solvents as well as water. It penetrates the skin very readily, giving it the unusual property for many individuals of being secreted onto the surface of the tongue after contact with the skin and causing a garlic-like taste in the mouth. Wikipedia, Dimethyl sulfoxide
The above article is quite biased. Do your own research.
The Persecuted Drug: The Story of DMSO, 1979, by Pat McGrady, Sr. The inside story of what some call "tomorrow's 'aspirin'. A miraculous drug finally recognized by the FDA in certain cases, DMSO may prove to be the cure-all of the future!
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Volume 141, Art. 1, Biological Actions of Dimethyl Sulfoxide, pages 1-671; New York Academy of Sciences, symposium March 14-16, 1966; published 1967.
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2024/10/no_author/the-fdas-war-against-dmso-and-america/
The FDA's War Against DMSO and America
The Forgotten History That Led to the FDA Again and Again Keeping the Things We Most Desperately Need Away From Us
By A Midwestern Doctor
Over the last month, I have been diligently working to alert the public to the decades of evidence demonstrating the remarkable therapeutic potential of DMSO. In turn, quite a few of my colleagues have shared patients are now asking them about DMSO, and a few are shifting their practice to focus on it (e.g., Pierre Kory has done so and is already having numerous amazing results).
Likewise, I’ve now received hundreds (often unbelievable) reports of it it being life changing for people (which can be read here), and it now seems there is a temporary supply shortage of DMSO because so many people (and their friends) have been buying the brands I recommended.
For those who have not read the series, thus far I have made the case that:
•DMSO treats many circulatory and neurological disorders (e.g., Reynaud’s and varicose veins) and profoundly transforms the outcomes of some of the most challenging conditions in medicine (e.g., strokes and spinal cord injuries)—to the point millions would have been spared from a life of disability or paralysis had it been adopted (discussed here).
•DMSO is a miraculous therapy for chronic pain, wounds (e.g., burns or surgical incisions), injuries (e.g., sports injuries) and all types of chronic pain (discussed here).
•DMSO is highly effective for treating a variety of challenging autoimmune disorders (discussed here).
•DMSO is highly effective for treating a variety of connective tissue issues such as scars and adhesions, collagen contractures, scleroderma, FOP (discussed here).
•DMSO is able to treat a variety of protein misfolding diseases (e.g., amyloidosis) including genetic disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome) which are classically considered to untreatable (discussed here).
•DMSO is incredibly safe, having only a limited number of known and manageable side effects alongside no risk of toxicity or death (provided it is used appropriately).
•There are thousands of studies that demonstrate both the safety and efficacy of DMSO (making it one of the most researched medical substances in history).......
Therapeutic DMSO Combinations Revolutionize Medicine
How DMSO being mixed with numerous common medications creates a myriad of remarkable therapeutic possibilities
By A Midwestern Doctor
Over the last nine months, I’ve worked to bring the public’s attention to dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) a forgotten natural therapy which rapidly treats a wide range of conditions and that many studies have shown is very safe (provided it’s used correctly), and, most importantly (thanks to the 1994 DSHEA act which legalized all natural therapies) is now readily available. Since I believe DMSO has immense potential to offer the medical community and individual patients, I’ve diligently worked to compile evidence that best supports its rediscovery. As such, throughout this series, I’ve presented over a thousand studies that DMSO effectively treats:
Strokes, paralysis, a wide range of neurological disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome and dementia), and many circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud’s, varicose veins, hemorrhoids), which I discussed on the link.
A wide range of tissue injuries, such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed on link).
Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome).
A wide range of autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders, such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed on link).
A variety of head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed on link).
A wide range of internal organ diseases, such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed ON LINK).
A wide range of skin conditions, such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases (discussed ON LINK).
Many challenging infectious conditions, including chronic bacterial infections, herpes, and shingles (discussed ON LINK).
Many aspects of cancer (e.g., many of cancer’s debilitating symptoms, making cancer treatments more potent, greatly reducing the toxicity of conventional therapies, and turning cancer cells back into normal cells), which I discussed here. ......
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/06/no_author/therapeutic-dmso-combinations-revolutionize-medicine/
DMSO Heals the Lungs and Cures Chronic Respiratory Diseases
By A Midwestern Doctor
... Umbrella Remedies
In medicine, there are a few therapies (e.g., ultraviolet blood irradiation) that have the ability to cure a wide range of diseases, and as such are referred to as “umbrella therapies.” This is because, amongst other things, they address the root causes of many illnesses such as poor circulation throughout the body, inflammation, and cells entering a state of shock where they stop functioning and eventually die.
DMSO, in turn, has repeatedly been shown to be remarkably effective for a wide range of disorders including:
Strokes, paralysis, a wide range of neurological disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome and dementia), and many circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud’s, varicose veins, hemorrhoids).
A wide range of tissue injuries, such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries.
Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome), which I discussed here.
A wide range of autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders, such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis.
A variety of head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis.
A wide range of internal organ diseases, such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis.
A wide range of skin conditions, such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases.
Many challenging infectious conditions, including chronic bacterial infections, herpes, and shingles.
Many aspects of cancer (e.g., many of cancer’s debilitating symptoms, making cancer treatments more potent, greatly reducing the toxicity of conventional therapies, and turning cancer cells back into normal cells) ......
To take internally - put a few drops in a drink. Or put a few drops in a gel cap, sometimes with natural turpentine aka pine gum and swallow the gel cap.
DMSO Transforms The Treatment of Infectious Diseases
Read entire article here: https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/dmso-transforms-the-treatment-of
•Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) is a remarkably safe naturally occurring substance that has a variety of remarkable properties that make it well suited to treating a variety of challenging medical conditions (e.g., pain, injuries, wounds, strokes, spine injuries, autoimmune conditions, cancer, and internal organ diseases).
•DMSO has broad antimicrobial properties, protects the body from microbial toxins (e.g., from C. diff), eliminates antibiotic resistance, and serves as a vehicle that can bring antimicrobials deep into the body and treat otherwise inaccessible infections.
•DMSO significantly enhances the treatment of many common bacterial infections (e.g., of the head, mouth, and skin) and many severe bacterial infections that require hospitalization (e.g., tuberculosis, sepsis, peritonitis, severe lung infections, osteomyelitis). In many cases, this has allowed an individual requiring an amputation of a chronically infected area to instead fully recover.
•DMSO has significant antiviral properties, which have most extensively been studied for herpes and shingles (both of which it excels in treating), but also in a variety of other conditions (e.g., feline panleukopenia, one of the most deadly conditions cats face.
•DMSO has significant value in treating challenging fungal and parasitic infections. Additionally, evidence suggests its utility in treating cancer and autoimmune disorders arise from DMSO’s unique antimicrobial properties.
•In this article, we will review the body of evidence showing DMSO’s remarkable contributions to the treatment of infectious diseases and provide guidance on how DMSO can be used to treat many of the conditions listed in this article.
Introduction
DMSO is a remarkably safe and naturally occurring substance (provided you use it correctly) that rapidly improves a variety of conditions medicine struggles with — particularly chronic pain. For reference, those conditions included:
Strokes, paralysis, a wide range of neurological disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome and dementia), and many circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud’s, varicose veins, hemorrhoids), which I discussed here.
A wide range of tissue injuries such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed here).
Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome), which I discussed here.
A wide range of autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed here).
A variety of head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed here).
A wide range of internal organ diseases such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed here).
A wide range of skin conditions such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases (discussed here).
In turn, since I started this series, it struck a cord and has now been seen by millions of people, and I have received over 1400 reports of remarkable responses to DMSO many readers have had (which can be read here).
This begs an obvious question — if a substance capable of doing all of that exists, why does almost no one know about it? Simply put, like many other promising therapies, it fell victim to a pernicious campaign by the FDA which kept it away from America despite decades of scientific research, Congressional protest, and thousands of people pleading for the FDA to reconsider their actions. Consider for example, this 60 Minutes program about DMSO that aired on March 23, 1980:
DMSO and Infectious Diseases
DMSO has a variety of unique properties that make it incredibly well suited to addressing microbial infections (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites).
These include:
•While non-toxic, it has an antiseptic effect that is harmful to microorganisms, especially the smallest ones (mycobacteria, cell wall deficient bacteria, and viruses). This property appears to be the most beneficial for herpes, shingles, and other complex conditions, which I believe have a microbiological component (e.g., cancer and autoimmunity).
•It can remove the antibiotic resistance of bacteria. This is particularly helpful in widespread problematic infections that have gradually developed a resistance to many existing antibiotics (e.g., tuberculosis) and challenging infections that are not responding to antibiotics (e.g., ones that would otherwise require an amputation).
•It can further increase the sensitivity of already susceptible microorganisms to antimicrobial agents.
•It can deliver antimicrobial agents to areas that are typically difficult to reach (e.g., deep in a bone) and also directly to regions that would otherwise require a systemic application of the medication.
•It can increase circulation to many parts of the body, something which is often critical for resolving illnesses (as a healthy blood supply allows the immune system to enter and heal diseased areas). Likewise, pretreatment with DMSO has been shown to increase the immune system’s ability to resist a subsequent infection.
•Much in the same way DMSO protects cells from a wide variety of lethal stressors, it can also protect them from the harmful effects of bacterial toxins (e.g., with the most pertinent applications studied being for sepsis and clostridium difficile). Likewise, it can also mitigate the toxicity of antimicrobial agents taken for a prolonged period.
Many of these properties are exceedingly unusual and can completely transform the practice of medicine. I will now provide much of the data substantiating the above claims.
Note: unless otherwise specified, all pharmaceuticals listed here are antibiotics.
Shingles and Herpes
Since many people struggle with Herpes (HSV-1 or HSV-2) and Shingles (Herpes Zoster), especially the pain which follows shingles (known as post-herpetic neuralgia or PHN), DMSO has been extensively studied for these uses. For instance, as discussed previously, there was a brief boom in DMSO research (during the 1960s and 1970s many pharmaceutical companies realized DMSO was a remarkable drug for them to sell) that was then abruptly shut down by the FDA banning virtually all DMSO research so they would not have to deal with the influx of new drug applications (as DMSO had so many remarkable uses).
Immediately prior to this ban, Merck for example, which had made significant investments in testing DMSO, sent out a guidance to all of their investigators detailing what they had learned after roughly a year of testing and over 4,000 patients which included:
Herpes Zoster has responded most favorably.
DMSO in turn, has been repeatedly found to treat herpes throughout the body (e.g., on the face and the genitals), shingles, and post-herpetic neuralgia.
Note: DMSO has also been found to be quite helpful for aphthae (canker sores).
DMSO alone works for these ailments, but is even more effective when combined with an antiviral, particularly when combined with 5-iodo-2'- deoxyuridine (IDU), an antiviral that has poor penetration into tissues
For example, at a 1980 Congressional Hearing, one researcher, Dr. Scherbel of the Cleveland Clinic (a highly respected dermatologist), was asked if DMSO could be used for shingles. He stated that they’d found acute shingles responds to DMSO alone in a high percentage of patients, that acute vesicular lesions dry up rapidly, and that with the application of DMSO, they never saw post-herpetic neuralgia follow shingles (which is a major complication of the disease).
Note: Stanley Jacob also mentioned that while the FDA was stonewalling DMSO, DMSO plus IDU was an approved topical prescription in England and Ireland. Sadly, it is still not available in North America.
Herpes Simplex
A 1965 study used 1% IDU in 90% DMSO (and 10% distilled water) in 7 patients with severe cutaneous Herpes simplex infection and noted significant improvement in all cases, with the only side effect being slight skin irritation from the solution.
After preliminary research suggested 5% and 10% idoxuridine (IDU), an antiviral when mixed with 100% DMSO showed promise in treating primary herpes in guinea pigs, a 1966 RCT (randomized controlled trial) of 21 patients with recurrent herpes was conducted. It found DMSO halved the durations of herpes, and when given with 5% idoxuridine, cut them into a third (whereas idoxuridine alone did not do anything).
Additionally, there were no recurrences within 6 months in the DMSO IDU group (whereas 1.7 on average were expected) and only 4 recurrences happened in the 11 person DMSO only group.
•A 1967 study found DMSO plus 5-IDU was more effective for treating early severe herpes simplex lesions than DMSO alone).
In 1972, a physician reported success using 100% DMSO and 5% IDU to treat severe herpes simplex in 5 patients.
A 1983 study found that DMSO effectively brought acyclovir (ACV) into the skin, caused a moderate reduction in herpes lesions, and dramatically reduced them when combined with acyclovir.
Note: DMSO also helps herpes fever blisters, and DMSO with IDU has been reported to be effective in treating HSV whitlow (herpes on the fingers).
A 1990 RCT gave 80% DMSO mixed with 15% IDU to 301 immunocompetent female patients experiencing a recurrence of genital herpes, which reduced the mean duration of pain by 1.3 days and the healing time to loss of crust by 1.7 days. When only classic herpes lesions (vesicle, ulcer, or crust formation) were evaluated, a greater effect was seen (the duration of pain was reduced by 2.6 days and the healing time to normal skin by 2.3 days).
•A 1998 review found that DMSO combined with IDU is an effective treatment for herpes, and that combining antiherpes agents with a transporting agent (e.g., DMSO) was a promising treatment avenue.
A 2002 cell study found 0.65% DMSO reduced herpes viral replication by 50% (while 1% mostly stopped it) and did so in a manner suggesting it inhibits multiple viral replication points, suggesting that this inhibitory effect was synergistic and that it could affect both early and late stages of an infection. Specifically, DMSO reduces the virus’s ability to infect cells, markedly inhibits viral DNA replication, and blocks the transcription of many HSV-1 genes.
Note: this open access study provides a very detailed analysis of how DMSO inhibited each aspect of herpes viral replication.
Note: while DMSO has not been studied for human viral encephalitis (e.g. from herpes), it has been used as a therapy for equine herpesvirus-1.
Shingles and Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN)
In 1967, a German investigator reported DMSO yielded generally good results in 10 of 11 shingles and PHN cases.
A larger 1967 study of 4180 patients included a few shingles patients who had a positive response to DMSO.
Two 1970 RCTs showed that both 5% and 40% IDU in DMSO were effective over 4 days of repeated applications in reducing shingles, but that 40% IDU was more effective (as was continuous rather than intermittent treatment). With both 5% and 40% IDU, there was a large reduction in the duration of pain (likely due to DMSO’s ability to eliminate pain), whereas, in the 40% IDU group, there was also a significant reduction (30%) in the time the lesions took to begin healing was seen, along with how long the vesicles took to dry (28.6%), and how long it took to complete (35%).
The patients were delighted, for the pain disappeared within a median of two days.
Note: the authors previously tried using IDU without DMSO for herpes simplex and saw no benefit from that treatment.
In 1971, Dr. William Campbell Douglass (a pioneer in the integrative medical field) conducted an unpublished study (presented in this book) that showed shingles was highly responsive to DMSO (73.3% had a good response to treatment and 13.3% had a fair response to treatment), and that the sooner DMSO is used, the better the response will be.
Note: there are other methods to use DMSO to treat herpes which can give an even faster response.
A 1974 RCT of 118 patients with shingles found 100% DMSO and 5% IDU applied every 4 hours for 4 days. It significantly shortened the vesicular phase, healing time, and duration of pain, and it significantly improved post-herpetic neuralgia. Additionally, no greater benefit was seen with 25% IDU, and the only side effects (seen in 2 patients) were transient tender redness in three patients and "urticarial" edema with dermographia.
A 1979 study found that 40% DMSO plus IDU created a small but significant improvement in the healing of shingles.
A 1981 trial gave 46 shingles patients either DMSO or DMSO mixed with 5% IDU. Compared to DMSO alone, DMSO plus IDU significantly reduced the time it took pain to improve, and significantly fewer new vesicles developed.
A 1992 RCT of 171 patients with non-severe shingles (which had been present for less than 4 days) found that compared to acyclovir, 40% DMSO topical mixed with IDU was a superior treatment for how quickly all vesicles dried, how long moderate-intense pain, hyperaesthesia and itching lasted, and how long reducing medications were required, how frequently new vesicles appeared, and in preventing post-herpetic neuralagia.
Additionally, Stanley Jacob has also reported being able to treat chronic post-herpetic neuralgia (which had been present for over 2 years).
Note: one of the rarest and most severe complications of shingles (where the face becomes paralyzed) is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a condition which became more common after the COVID vaccines (e.g., it affected Justin Bieber). Recently, one reader successfully treated it with DMSO.
Combined Studies
A 1969 study gave DMSO to 37 patients with herpes simplex, shingles, chickenpox, and smallpox vaccine rashes, all of whom healed in approximately one-third of the normal time. Newer cases healed rapidly, while older herpes simplex cases took longer to heal and tended to recur (although if the recurrence was treated promptly, it healed quickly, and there was no future recurrence). Post-herpetic neuralgia sometimes occurred in shingles patients, but it was shorter than normal (of the 11, one had it for 3 weeks, one for 7 weeks, and one for 6 months).
A 1975 study reported on 152 patients with a wide range of dermatologic conditions who received a topical DMSO spray (with no side effects except temporary intense pain in two of the recipients).
•Shingles (7)—all 7 had dramatic results within 48 hours (often completely disappearing).
•Herpes simplex (4 on the penis, 4 on the lips, 2 on the cheeks)—all 10 had dramatic results within 48 hours (often completely disappearing).
DMSO IDU Studies
A 1977 review determined that adding IDU to DMSO does not create any additional toxicity or side effects compared to DMSO alone.
A 1986 study established that DMSO dramatically increases the penetration of acyclovir and IDU into the skin:
In 1988, investigators determined that the maximum benefit of IDU mixed with DMSO was likely to be at 20% IDU, higher concentrations of IDU did not result in more IDU reaching the area. However, in most studies, 5% or 40% IDU was tested.
Note: a 1969 and 1971 review further discussed this therapeutic combination.
DMSO and Bacterial Infections
DMSO has six properties that make it useful in treating bacterial infections.
First, data suggests DMSO increases bacterial cell membrane permeability and concurrently creates changes in the cell indicative of damage to its membrane. In addition to directly eliminating bacteria, it also reduces their ability to prevent antibiotics from entering them. In turn, existing data shows DMSO has a much greater ability to increase the potency of antibiotics that target structures inside bacteria rather than ones that target their cell wall (e.g., penicillin).
Note: this property is particularly important for tuberculosis as it has a robust external barrier that impairs antibiotic entry.
Second, by increasing membrane permeability, it can also make bacteria more susceptible to taking up the nucleic acids of lethal bacteriophages (viruses that kill bacteria and have been extensively researched outside of America due to their efficacy in treating a wide range of bacterial infections).
Third, DMSO can often simply dissolve bacteria and cause their contents to leak out.
Fourth, DMSO can interfere with the normal functioning of bacteria. A 1977 study, for instance, found that it interferes with the production of membrane proteins that E. coli (and other bacteria) need for metabolism.
Fifth, as discussed throughout a previous article, DMSO greatly improves circulation (which, when impaired often leads to chronic infections).
Sixth, in the same way DMSO can protect cells from various lethal stressors (discussed here), DMSO effectively mitigates the harmful effects of many bacterial toxins.
Additionally, while many concerns existed that DMSO’s anti-inflammatory properties might cause immune suppression, this has not been the case. A 1984 mouse study for example, found that giving DMSO prior to injecting E. coli or L. monocytogenes did not suppress the immune response to it, increase the lethality of either bacteria, or impair the body’s clearance of the infection, hence eliminating concerns that it could reduce a needed immune response (as DMSO is anti-inflammatory).
Conversely, DMSO in some instances, has been shown to enhance the immune response. For example:
•The oxidative burst (where highly reactive oxidative chemicals like peroxynitrite are briefly generated) is utilized by immune cells to eliminate invading microorganisms. Unlike many other antioxidants, DMSO enhances the bactericidal properties of it.
•In 1966, it was reported that giving mice oral DMSO 8 days prior to infecting them with typhus made them more resistant to the infection.
Note: the same researcher also repeatedly demonstrated that giving a typhoid vaccine while a latent typhoid infection was present would trigger immune suppression, which would cause acute typhoid to develop.
Common Microbes
DMSO has been extensively tested against common infectious bacteria (e.g., staph, strep, E. coli, pseudomonas), both by itself and in combination with antibiotics (e.g., a 1986 article discussed DMSO’s potential for being combined with antibiotic therapies) along with other antimicrobial therapies.
That research and the pertinent data are as follows:
In 1964, Stanley Jacob reported that 20% DMSO had a bacteriostatic effect (growth inhibiting activity that does not kill bacteria) against E. coli, Staph aureus, and Pseudomonas cultures, and that 1% DMSO made resistant tuberculosis more sensitive to antibiotics.
A 1965 study found DMSO’s minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC, a common way to assess how potent antibiotics are) was 50% for Staph Aureus and between 30-40% for Staph epidermidis, β-hemolytic strep, Corynebacterium acnes, other Corynebacterium species (normal skin residents), Alcaligenes faecalis, E. coli, and Proteus bacteria, and that applying 90% DMSO to the armpit three times per day for three days eliminated 90% of the bacteria. Additionally, at 20% DMSO was bacteriostatic, and an hour of exposure to 60-75% of DMSO was required to kill those bacteria—all of which led the investigators to conclude DMSO was a low-potency antibiotic.
A 1966 study found that 5% DMSO increased bacterial antibiotic sensitivity, both in antibiotic sensitive strains and in many antibiotic resistant strains. For example, all 4 strains of colistin-resistant pseudomonas became sensitive, while resistant E. coli did not become penicillin sensitive. Additionally, DMSO inhibited bacterial growth by itself.
In 1966, another investigator found DMSO’s MIC for S. Aureus was 30%.
A 1967 study tested DMSO’s inhibitory effect against various microorganisms, and found at sufficient concentrations that it caused those organisms to dissolve into a sediment.
Note: a few other organisms were also tested. For each, DMSO’s bacteriostatic concentration was: Aerobacter cloacae (20-30%), Proteus vulgaris (20-30%), Salmonella schottmulleri (10-30%), Strep. pneumoniae (4-5%). Given that Strep. pneumoniae is involved in a variety of challenging conditions, its high sensitivity to DMSO (which was seen at 4% but not 1% DMSO) holds promise for those infections.
A 1967 study reported that for antifungal and antibacterial applications, the effectiveness of dimethyl sulfoxide increases sharply above 70%.
A 1969 study found that 75% DMSO was bactericidal (mainly by causing their internal contents to leak out), while 15% was sufficient to stop bacterial growth.
•A 1972 study discussed using DMSO to treat staph infections in young children and a 1973 study discussed using it to treat deep staph infections in young children
•A 1975 study from that DMSO dramatically lowered the minimal inhibitory concentration of streptomycin in resistant E. coli, causing it to go from over 5000 µg/ml to 7.5 µg/ml. The investigators concluded this effect was most likely due to DMSO increasing membrane permeability to streptomycin.
•A 1989 study found that DMSO enhanced the efficacy of iodopiron in eliminating pseudomonas bacteria (demonstrated by electron microscope observations of the damage done to those bacteria), leading the investigators to propose using it to treat burn patients.
Note: this 1986 study also used an electron microscope to evaluate the effect of DMSO on bacteria (in this case Staph aureus).
•When antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) was used in a 2005 study to treat mice with third-degree burn wounds one day after they had been infected with Staph aureus, adding DMSO to PDT eliminated 98% of the bacteria, whereas without DMSO, there was only a marginal dose-dependent reduction of the bacteria.
•A 2012 study found that when DMSO was mixed with an antiseptic alcohol (isopropanol) it made it 10-100 times as potent (and in some cases even more) at preventing microbial growth (of common microbes). It also found that DMSO’s inhibitory effect rapidly increased with DMSO concentration (with 10% DMSO being sufficient for isopropanol to inhibit all growth).
•A 2018 study tested DMSO against a variety of bacterial strains and found that DMSO exhibited varying degrees of pronounced antibacterial activity.
•A 2024 study found 0.4% DMSO inhibited S. aureus growth, 0.3% inhibited E. coli, 0.2% inhibited C. albicans growth.
DMSO and Head Infections
See entire article here: https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/dmso-transforms-the-treatment-of
See Also