Methylene Blue: A Powerful Antioxidant That Repairs Aging Skin and Improves Brain Health

Studies show methylene blue can revitalize aging skin and improve brain function by targeting depleted mitochondria.

Rattiya Thongdumhyu/Shutterstock

The potential benefits of methylene blue are diverse and may seem too good to be true. Methylene blue acts as a powerful antioxidant with seemingly better cellular repair capabilities than vitamin C.

As a well-established drug, methylene blue has a wide range of clinical applications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved methylene blue to treat malaria, urinary tract infections, a blood disorder called methemoglobinemia, and as a dye for surgical staining. However, methylene blue has potent antimicrobial, antiparasitic, and antiviral properties, and some studies show it can reverse the signs of aging skin, potentially treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and even fight some cancers.

Methylene Blue and Mitochondria

Mitochondria are often referred to as the “powerhouse of the cell. They are specialized, energy-producing structures found inside nearly every cell in the human body. Besides producing about 90 percent of the energy the body needs to function, mitochondria play a crucial role in cellular communication. They provide the building blocks for our genetic material and control the life cycle of cells by determining which ones are healthy enough to keep and reproduce and which should be flagged for destruction and cleared away. High-functioning, healthy mitochondria are imperative for both physical and mental well-being.

Unfortunately, mitochondria can also be vulnerable. They can become depleted and dysfunctional from inflammation, infection, and aging. When mitochondria are under stress and dysfunctional, they produce less energy to fuel the body’s cells.

Methylene blue works by directly interacting with the mitochondria. Its antioxidant properties can scavenge and neutralize harmful free radicals produced as mitochondria create cellular energy or adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mmethylene blue also has a unique property that allows it to cycle electrons, meaning it can accept and donate electrons. This property is important because it ultimately reduces damage to cells by reducing oxidation and free radicals.

Researchers have found that methylene blue can help with many conditions related to mitochondrial dysfunction, including aging skin. In addition, unlike other antioxidants such as vitamins C, E, and curcumin, methylene blue is lipophilic, which means it is fat-soluble and can cross the blood-brain barrier. Researchers have found that mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, and thus, they believe methylene blue could be a viable treatment for some neurodegenerative diseases.

Methylene blue. Mehmet Cetin/Shutterstock

Mitochondrial-Specific Antioxidants Improve Skin Cell Aging

It’s well-known that antioxidants are potent combatants that help protect the skin and slow aging.

According to a study from the University of Maryland published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports, methylene blue was better and safer than mitochondrial-specific antioxidants in reducing mitochondrial dysfunction and promoting new cell generation.

Researchers tested methylene blue using skin cells from healthy middle-aged donors and those diagnosed with a rare genetic disease, progeria, that causes children to age rapidly. Methylene blue outperformed three other antioxidants and improved age-related symptoms in the cells of both progeria patients and healthy donors.

Over the four-week experimental treatment, skin cells had decreased cellular damage due to oxidative stress, a reduced rate of cell death, and increased cell division. According to the researchers, the methylene blue stimulated mitochondrial health and addressed the root cause of skin aging.

“Our work suggests that methylene blue could be a powerful antioxidant for use in skin care products,” Kan Cao, senior study author and associate professor of cell biology and molecular genetics at the University of Maryland, said in a news release. “The effects we are seeing are not temporary. Methylene blue appears to make fundamental, long-term changes to skin cells.”

Not long after the study was published, Ms. Cao launched a line of skin care products based on the research. “Human aging is deeply connected to the function of the mitochondria and our cellular reproduction,” she said in a different press statement. “In fact, mitochondrial mutations [are associated] with many age-related diseases.”

May Slow Brain Aging and Improve Neurological Diseases

In addition to aging skin, researchers believe methylene blue can increase ATP production in the brain and lower the concentration of free radicals.

The brain has approximately 86 billion neurons, and it’s estimated that each neuron has as many as 2 million mitochondria. Since methylene blue can cross through the blood-brain barrier and reroute electrons, it can reduce brain aging by improving mitochondrial function. Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage, and neuroinflammation are all hallmarks of brain aging and are linked to brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and even traumatic brain injuries.

Alzheimer’s disease, one of society’s most feared neurologic impairments, involves abnormal protein accumulation that forms plaque around brain cells. Inflammation and oxidative stress are also prime contributors to the disease.

A 2019 paper published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease reported unexpected results after scientists gave over 1,000 mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s patients hydromethylthionine, a reduced form of methylene blue that improves absorption. Even at the lowest dose, hydromethylthionine produced “meaningful reductions” in cognitive decline and brain atrophy.

Numerous new studies combining methylene blue with photobiomodulation, or low-level laser therapy, show potential therapeutic approaches to target mitochondria and cellular respiration to treat Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Even though their underlying mechanisms differ, both methylene blue and low-level laser therapy can target mitochondria and increase brain oxygen consumption.

Dr. David Epstein, an osteopathic doctor and functional medical practitioner, uses methylene blue regularly for various neurologic problems, including dysautonomia. “Patients with dysautonomia have various issues that relate to the regulation of the autonomic nervous system, including a racing heart when they sit up too quickly or food that won’t digest, even breathing becomes irregular,” he told the Epoch Times. “Methylene blue, which has this property of mitochondrial enhancement, has been remarkable for these patients.”

Dr. Epstein believes it’s essential to include methylene blue in a regimen to improve a patient’s biochemistry and the function of their DNA. “The future of medicine is all in the body’s biochemistry, as in how methylene blue can donate electrons to enhance mitochondrial energy production,” Dr. Epstein said. “We’re finding we can do many things without pharmaceuticals.”

Additional Research

The research involving methylene blue is ongoing and extensive. The antioxidant effects on aging skin and brain health briefly describe the many benefits researchers have documented in recent years.

Some scientists believe methylene blue is a viable COVID-19 treatment protocol based on a clinical trial showing significant improvement in oxygen saturation and respiratory distress of hypoxemic COVID-19 patients, resulting in decreased hospital stay and mortality.

Other studies provide extensive evidence of methylene blue’s dramatically beneficial effect on patients suffering from severe COVID-19 symptoms and even call it a “rescue magic bullet.”

Methylene blue has also been shown to have potent anti-cancer effects on breast and prostate cancer cells.

Risks and Side Effects

Methylene blue should be taken under a doctor’s watch, even though some forms are available without a prescription.

Besides more benign side effects like a blue tongue and blue urine, there are certain risks when taking methylene blue, especially in higher dosages.

Methylene blue is not advised for the following individuals:

• Those taking any drug with serotonergic activity (e.g., an SSRI, SNRI, MAOI, or TCA) due to possible serotonin syndrome, which is potentially fatal.
• Those with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, which could lead to severe anemia.
• Pregnant women or those who may become pregnant. The FDA has assigned it a pregnancy class X rating.
• Those with known hypersensitivity to methylene blue or any thiazine dye.
• Those with hepatic impairment, since methylene blue is extensively metabolized in the liver.
• People with renal impairment.