Methylene Blue

Overview

Methylene blue (methylthioninium chloride) is a synthetic phenothiazine dye that has been used medically for more than a century. It has several biochemical properties that make it unusual: it can participate in oxidation-reduction reactions, act as an electron carrier, influence mitochondrial respiration, and interact with several cellular enzymes.

In the United States, its established FDA-approved medical use is the treatment of acquired methemoglobinemia, a condition in which hemoglobin cannot transport oxygen normally.

Methylene blue was one of the earliest synthetic drugs used to treat malaria, beginning in the late 1800s.

However, research is of interest for its potential effects on the Brain, Mitochondria, Memory, neurodegeneration, Mood & Mood Disorders, Inflammation, oxidative stress, and infectious diseases.

Biological Functions of Methylene Blue 

  Methylene blue can serve as an alternative electron carrier in the mitochondrial electron transport system. Under certain conditions, it can accept electrons and subsequently transfer them onward, potentially helping maintain electron flow when portions of normal mitochondrial electron transport are impaired.