As we age, our cells require more oxygen and protection from free radicals to stay healthy and function well. While healthy food and clean air are beneficial, our environment can still be quite toxic. Taking Methylene Blue is one way to combat this. This compound helps provide the oxygen and energy our cells need to function optimally.

How Methylene Blue works

It helps generate more oxygen and energy in our mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells. Methylene Blue accumulates in the mitochondria, which are highly concentrated in our nervous tissue. Our body relies on optimal mitochondrial function to produce oxygen and cellular energy. However, as we age, and due to factors like chronic stress, inflammation, and poor diet, mitochondrial function declines. Methylene Blue targets damaged mitochondria first, then progresses to improve less damaged ones.

Without sufficient oxygen, our body's stress hormones and pro-inflammatory signals increase, and our energy supply is essentially shut off.

Methylene Blue can improve metabolism by enhancing mitochondrial function, respiration, oxygen consumption, ATP production, and glucose consumption. It also reduces lactic acid production and acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage.

Methylene blue is a synthetic compound with a long history of use in medicine, originally as a dye. However, its pharmacological properties have been increasingly recognized, particularly in the fields of anti-aging and cognitive enhancement.

Benefits of Methylene Blue

• Anti-aging/Antioxidant Properties: Methylene blue acts as a potent antioxidant, helping to combat oxidative stress in the body. This can help prevent cellular damage and slow down the aging process. It also stimulates glucose metabolism in conditions without oxygen and increases the amount of NAD + produced by mitochondria. The greater the amount of NAD+, the younger your cells remain/become. In red blood cells, low dose MB changes the configuration of the iron (heme)in hemoglobin, the molecule in a red blood cell that carries oxygen. This improves the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin which leads to increased ATP production from the electron transport chain.
  
  
• Mitochondrial Function: Methylene blue has been shown to improve mitochondrial function, which are the powerhouses of our cells responsible for energy production. By enhancing mitochondrial function, methylene blue can potentially increase energy levels and overall vitality.
  
  
• Neuroprotective Effects: Studies suggest that methylene blue has neuroprotective properties, meaning it can help protect nerve cells from damage. This is particularly relevant for conditions like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, where nerve cell damage plays a significant role. In the brain, it boosts cellular oxygen use and reduces anaerobic glycolysis, which is helpful in cytotoxic situations. It also reduces the production of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS), shielding cells from glutamate blockage and preserving mitochondrial function. This is particularly relevant for conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke.
  
  
• Cognitive Enhancement: Methylene blue has been investigated for its potential to improve cognitive function and memory. It is believed to enhance neurotransmitter systems involved in learning and memory, leading to better cognitive performance.
  
  
• Anti-inflammatory Effects: Chronic inflammation is a key driver of aging and age-related diseases. Methylene blue has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties, which can help mitigate inflammation throughout the body.
  
  
• Antimicrobial Properties: Methylene blue has antimicrobial effects, making it useful in the treatment of various infections. A study from 2021 showed that methylene blue displayed virucidal (destroy or inactivate viruses) preventive or therapeutic activity against influenza virus H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2.

• Mood Regulation: Some research suggests that methylene blue may have mood-regulating effects and could potentially be used in the treatment of mood disorders such as depression. It has antidepressant effects, functioning as a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor. Inhibiting MAO prevents monoamine neurotransmitter breakdown (dopamine, melatonin, and serotonin) which leads directly to increases in these neurotransmitters. It may also function as a cholinesterase inhibitor, increasing the amount of acetylcholine available, a neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for arousal, attention, memory, and motivation.
  
  
• Wound Healing: Methylene blue has been studied for its ability to promote wound healing, possibly due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
  
  
• Potential Cancer Therapy: There is emerging research into the potential use of methylene blue in cancer therapy, particularly in combination with other treatments due to its ability to target cancer cells selectively. It may help prevent and manage brain damage caused by tumors through its role in restoring mitochondrial enzymes and oxidizing NADH.

Methylene Blue Safety

MB is a very safe drug, especially when taken at low doses and when purity/potency tested. The most common side effect of MB is blue urine. Because of the potential risk of serotonin syndrome (a life-threatening condition), do not combine MB with SSRIs, SNRIs, or drugs that increase serotonin levels except under the very close supervision of a provider.

Other potential side effects include:

• Urine, feces, or skin turning blue or green
• High blood pressure
• Excessive sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Confusion
• Feeling lightheaded
• Chest pain
• Abdominal pain
• Allergic reactions, including severe ones like anaphylaxis
• Nausea and vomiting
• Breakdown of red blood cells
• Serotonin syndrome

RESEARCH

Hashmi MU, Ahmed R, Mahmoud S, Ahmed K, Bushra NM, Ahmed A, Elwadie B, Madni A, Saad AB, Abdelrahman N. Exploring Methylene Blue and Its Derivatives in Alzheimer's Treatment: A Comprehensive Review of Randomized Control Trials. Cureus. 2023 Oct 9;15(10):e46732. doi: 10.7759/cureus.46732. PMID: 38022191; PMCID: PMC10631450.

Cagno, V., Medaglia, C., Cerny, A. et al. Methylene Blue has a potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 influenza virus in the absence of UV-activation in vitro.Sci Rep 11, 14295 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92481-9

Schirmer R.H., et al. (2003). Methylene blue as an antimalarial agent. Redox Report. https://doi.org/10.1179/135100003225002899

Poteet E., et al. (2012). Neuroprotective actions of methylene blue and its derivatives. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048279

Wainwright M and Crossley K.B. (2002). Methylene blue – a therapeutic dye for all seasons? Journal of Chemotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1179/joc.2002.14.5.431

Auchter A, Williams J, Barksdale B, Monfils MH, Gonzalez-Lima F. Therapeutic benefits of methylene blue on cognitive impairment during chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. J Alzheimers Dis. 2014;42 Suppl 4:S525-35. doi: 10.3233/JAD-141527. PMID: 25079810.

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Tucker D, Lu Y, Zhang Q. From Mitochondrial Function to Neuroprotection-an Emerging Role for Methylene Blue. Mol Neurobiol. 2018 Jun;55(6):5137-5153. doi: 10.1007/s12035-017-0712-2. Epub 2017 Aug 24. PMID: 28840449; PMCID: PMC5826781.

Biju KC, Evans RC, Shrestha K, Carlisle DCB, Gelfond J, Clark RA. Methylene Blue Ameliorates Olfactory Dysfunction and Motor Deficits in a Chronic MPTP/Probenecid Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease. Neuroscience. 2018 Jun 1;380:111-122. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.04.008. Epub 2018 Apr 21. PMID: 29684508.

Shen Q, Du F, Huang S, Rodriguez P, Watts LT, Duong TQ. Neuroprotective efficacy of methylene blue in ischemic stroke: an MRI study. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 21;8(11):e79833. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079833. PMID: 24278191; PMCID: PMC3836814.

Rojas JC, John JM, Lee J, Gonzalez-Lima F. Methylene blue provides behavioral and metabolic neuroprotection against optic neuropathy. Neurotox Res. 2009 Apr;15(3):260-73. doi: 10.1007/s12640-009-9027-z. Epub 2009 Feb 24. PMID: 19384599.

Sun W, Lee S, Huang X, Liu S, Inayathullah M, Kim KM, Tang H, Ashford JW, Rajadas J. Attenuation of synaptic toxicity and MARK4/PAR1-mediated Tau phosphorylation by methylene blue for Alzheimer's disease treatment. Sci Rep. 2016 Oct 6;6:34784. doi: 10.1038/srep34784. PMID: 27708431; PMCID: PMC5052533.

Xie L, Li W, Winters A, Yuan F, Jin K, Yang S. Methylene blue induces macroautophagy through 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase pathway to protect neurons from serum deprivation. Front Cell Neurosci. 2013 May 3;7:56. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2013.00056. PMID: 23653592; PMCID: PMC3642497.