Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a chemical. It is available as a prescription medicine and also as a dietary supplement. It can be taken by mouth, applied to the skin (used topically), or injected into the veins (used intravenously or by IV).

DMSO is used for bladder inflammation (interstitial cystitis), limb pain that usually occurs after an injury (complex regional pain syndrome), and leakage of intravenous (IV) drug from the vein into surrounding skin and tissue (extravasation). It is also used for other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses.

How does it work ?
DMSO helps medicines get through the skin and can affect proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and water in the body.

Dimethyl sulfoxide is an agent with a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects, including membrane penetration, anti-inflammatory effects, local analgesia, and weak bacteriostasis. The principal use of dimethyl sulfoxide is as a vehicle for other drugs, thereby enhancing the effect of the drug, and aiding penetration of other drugs into the skin. Dimethyl sulfoxide has been given orally, intravenously, or topically for a wide range of indications. It is also given by bladder instillation in the symptomatic relief of interstitial cystitis, and is used as a cryoprotectant for various human tissues.

In preparation for bone marrow transplantation, autologous hemopoietic stem cells are normally frozen in liquid nitrogen after harvesting. However, a cryoprotective agent is required, and dimethyl sulfoxide is normally used. During and immediately after stem cell infusion, many adverse effects, which may be severe or life-threatening, have been reported. They include hypotension and hypertension, anaphylactic reactions, and cardiac and respiratory failure, all possibly due to dimethyl sulfoxide, hemolysis induced by cryopreservation and thawing, and fluid overload.

In a retrospective study, 30 children were reviewed after bone marrow or peripheral autologous hemopoietic transplantation. At the time of infusion, hydrocortisone, chlorphenamine, and hyperhydration were administered to all patients, and furosemide and tropisetron to most. Vital signs and symptoms were monitored for 6 hours after the infusion. Thawing was performed rapidly at the bedside in a 42°C water-bath, and the cells were infused through a central venous catheter at 10 ml/minute. All 32 procedures were well tolerated; there were infusion-related adverse effects in 15 of 32 infusions, but none required specific therapy. There was mild bradycardia in nine patients, one reported abdominal pain, two reported headache, and three had hemoglobinuria. The authors concluded that a single-step cryopreservation technique aimed at limiting the total amount of dimethyl sulfoxide is effective in avoiding most toxicity while not compromising post-thawing viability.

The efficacy and safety of dimethyl sulfoxide are still relatively unclear; few studies have been performed in such a way as to permit reliable conclusions. Dimethyl sulfoxide penetrates quickly through the tissues, and there are no great differences between its effects after different routes of administration. Adverse reactions are common, but can be avoided in large part by using more dilute solutions. Although the systemic toxicity of dimethyl sulfoxide is considered to be low, it can potentiate the effect of simultaneously administered drugs. Combinations of dimethyl sulfoxide with other toxic agents probably constitute its greatest toxic potential.