Blue is good. What can methylene blue do?
Have you ever heard that the first truly chemical drug that is not found anywhere in nature was and is blue jeans dye? No? That's how the manufacturers of the new drugs kept it from you. Today's suppression of some information seems to have a long tradition and has been going on for decades, not just during recent "epidemics". Well, luckily today we have the opportunity to search for information ourselves, hopefully it will last.
It's an interesting history. Methylene blue has been described as "the first fully synthetic substance used in medicine". Methylene blue was first prepared in 1876 by the German chemist Heinrich Caro. Sometime around 1891, methylene blue was identified by Paul Ehrlich as a possible agent for the treatment of malaria. It disappeared as an antimalarial drug during the Pacific War in the tropics because American and Allied soldiers disliked its two prominent, but reversible, side effects: blue or green urine and blue discoloration of the whites of the eyes. Interest in its use as an antimalarial has recently been revived, mainly due to its low cost.
Use of the drug was revived after it was discovered as an antidote to carbon monoxide poisoning and cyanide poisoning in 1933 by Matilda Brooks. Blue urine has also been used to monitor adherence to medication regimens in psychiatric patients. This led to interest in antidepressant and other psychotropic effects. It can increase serotonin levels, so it can have similar effects as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Today it is used, for example, to highlight lymph nodes during surgical procedures, but is otherwise only used for research. At the same time, it has a number of remarkable properties, for example, it is very effective in destroying bacteria and viruses, especially in connection with photobiomodulation (PBM) with red light. It can create hydrogen peroxide and, in conjunction with light, superoxide and other ROS to destroy pathogenic organisms.
The most interesting area of action of methylene blue is the energy system of cells, that is mitochondria. It is clear from my previous posts that the main cause of chronic problems is the switching on of anaerobic metabolism in tissues that are not prepared for it by evolution, or on the contrary, the inability to switch on anaerobic metabolism in an emergency situation in tissues that need it. Both situations are devastating. The use of oxygen wherever it is to be used is essential for promoting health. Methylene blue can partially replace oxygen, even at much lower doses than, for example, in the treatment of malaria.
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| Methylene blue (MB+, MBH) as a bridging of Complex I of the electron transport chain. |
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| Methylene blue (MB+, MBH) as a bridge for Cytochrome C in the electron transport chain. |
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| Methylene blue (MB+, MBH) as bridging Complex II of the electron transport chain. |
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| Methylene blue (MB+, MBH) as bridging Complex III and IV (CcO) of the electron transport chain. |
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| Methylene blue (MB+, MBH) as a bridging of Complex V of the electron transport chain to promote glucose fermentation. |
So far, the best summary of the mechanisms of effects on mitochondria and the electron transport chain I found in the video of Dr. Masterjohn. He presents a very sober and rather skeptical view, which I do not share, but which is certainly supported by his experience and knowledge of a number of studies. The fact that the effects of methylene blue can be replaced with other medications is possible and probable, but none of them are so multipurpose. Indeed, methylene blue can bridge the malfunction of each of the ETC enzymes, even the fifth ATP-producing complex. It is important to note, however, that in a healthy person the use of blue makes no sense, with functional enzymes bridging will reduce ATP production, thus worsening the condition.
What problems could methylene blue solve? Try, for example, to search for "Methylene blue" on George Dinkov's blog, you will find interesting articles and connections with many diseases. Above all, those related to the activity of mitochondria and energy metabolism, which are practically all chronic problems, chronic inflammation and neurodegenerative disorders. Methylene blue is a really interesting substance suitable not only for chemical experiments, when transparent water turns deep blue and vice versa. All it takes is a small change in the redox potential and the color changes. This is due to the fact that it can easily accept and transfer electrons, changing the color. So it acts like some kind of replacement conductor of electricity, passing electrons from a place where there is an excess of them to a place where there is a lack of them, where the molecules want them. It is this ability that makes it possible to bridge non-functional (acetylated) enzymes that are part of long enzyme chains, e.g. the electron transport chain in mitochondria (ETC).
Many reactions, many electron transfers, have to take place in order to transport electrons in the ETC all the way to the last enzyme (CcO) that binds the electrons from your food to water. Limiting one single reaction in this series of reactions slows down the entire process of oxidation of intermediate fuels NADH and FADH2 to make water. This has the effect of switching the cell through the activation of HIF-1 to obtain energy without the need for oxygen, thus turning on pseudohypoxia. And this is exactly what methylene blue can prevent, it can bridge a non-functioning enzyme and pass electrons on. Although the energy of the electrons is not fully utilized, this does not matter, mainly because the machines (enzymes) can spin/move. Methylene blue thus behaves similarly to a reaction catalyst, a small concentration is sufficient for activation and it is not consumed during reactions, it is recycled.
We can show, for example, a meta-study investigating the effectiveness against Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The results are not always unambiguous, but the conclusion is that just a small amount of up to 20 mg (up to 0.25 mg/kg) per day is clearly beneficial. A higher amount, on the other hand, does not bring any positive effect, rather the opposite. This is good news. At this amount, the color of the urine is not even blue or green, which seems unacceptable to some.
Another study investigated the effectiveness against respiratory viruses, specifically SARS-CoV-2, in conjunction with red light, and the result would be encouraging. I would see great potential for addressing chronic inflammation, whether caused by LPS toxins from the digestive system or toxic products of spontaneous or enzymatic oxidation of omega-6 oils. Disruption of the ETC is the main reason why inflammation cannot end with tissue repair. It is not possible to switch to obtaining energy by oxidative phosphorylation using oxygen. Anaerobic fermentation of glucose is not sufficient for this. Methylene blue could solve this, it is easy to apply by mouth and works by concentrating on the site that is oxidatively/reductively unbalanced.
References:
Methylene Blue: Biohacker's Delight, or Playing With Fire
Mitochondria as a target for neuroprotection: role of methylene blue and photobiomodulation
Cellular and Molecular Actions of Methylene Blue in the Nervous System
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