Dr. Scott Sherr

Yeah, so methylene blue has been around a long time. I'm just going to cut for a second. Can you hear my daughter playing piano in the background? Can you not hear that? Nope, I don't hear it. Sound doesn't sound at all. Okay. I just want to make sure. Okay. I just want to make sure before I got started on this, it wasn't too late, too loud. Okay, I'll go back into it.

Yeah, so methylene blue has been around a long time. I'm just going to cut for a second. Can you hear my daughter playing piano in the background? Can you not hear that? Nope, I don't hear it. Sound doesn't sound at all. Okay. I just want to make sure. Okay. I just want to make sure before I got started on this, it wasn't too late, too loud. Okay, I'll go back into it.

I just wanted to just do that real quick before.

I just wanted to just do that real quick before.

I was like, otherwise, people are thinking I'm in a piano recital or something.

I was like, otherwise, people are thinking I'm in a piano recital or something.

Yeah, yeah. So methylene blue has been around a long time. It was first developed in the 1870s as a textile dye, actually. But in the 1890s, it was realized that it actually worked like a magic bullet. They called it that because... You could give very high doses of it and it would kill pathogens in humans, but it would not harm normal cells.

Yeah, yeah. So methylene blue has been around a long time. It was first developed in the 1870s as a textile dye, actually. But in the 1890s, it was realized that it actually worked like a magic bullet. They called it that because... You could give very high doses of it and it would kill pathogens in humans, but it would not harm normal cells.

And that was kind of like the high pinnacle that they were trying to find at the time because there really were no antimicrobials at the time at all. I mean, except for some natural things, but very, very few. And they had a very few things in their repertoire. So they started using methylene blue in 1897. It was FDA approved. It was the first drug registered with the FDA back in 1897.

And that was kind of like the high pinnacle that they were trying to find at the time because there really were no antimicrobials at the time at all. I mean, except for some natural things, but very, very few. And they had a very few things in their repertoire. So they started using methylene blue in 1897. It was FDA approved. It was the first drug registered with the FDA back in 1897.

And it was actually treatment for malaria. But in the next 50 years or so after it was developed, it was used as an antimicrobial and one of the most significant and most potent that was available. So it was used in World War II. Pilots had to take it when they were in the Pacific and the jungles and fighting in the Japanese, etc. They were actually taking prophylactic methylene blue.

And it was actually treatment for malaria. But in the next 50 years or so after it was developed, it was used as an antimicrobial and one of the most significant and most potent that was available. So it was used in World War II. Pilots had to take it when they were in the Pacific and the jungles and fighting in the Japanese, etc. They were actually taking prophylactic methylene blue.

There were stories about methylene blue and songs about it because at higher doses for infection, it actually causes your urine to be blue And so when you take methylene blue orally, it concentrates in your urine. You take an IV, it's the same thing, but it concentrates in your urine and you will urinate blues.

There were stories about methylene blue and songs about it because at higher doses for infection, it actually causes your urine to be blue And so when you take methylene blue orally, it concentrates in your urine. You take an IV, it's the same thing, but it concentrates in your urine and you will urinate blues.

That's something that it's not, it's a benign effect, but it is an effect and it's surprising if you don't know it's going to happen. But when antimicrobials came on the scene in the 1950s, Methylene blue became more out of favor, just got out of favor because you had these newer, fancier antimicrobials, which were very good.

That's something that it's not, it's a benign effect, but it is an effect and it's surprising if you don't know it's going to happen. But when antimicrobials came on the scene in the 1950s, Methylene blue became more out of favor, just got out of favor because you had these newer, fancier antimicrobials, which were very good.

You had penicillin at the time and then others that were being developed in the 1950s. And so it had a long history from then. The first antipsychotics were derived from methylene blue, actually, because methylene blue also works on the neurotransmitter system, increasing serotonin. dopamine and norepinephrine. And so the first antipsychotic in the 1950s was developed out of methylene blue itself.

You had penicillin at the time and then others that were being developed in the 1950s. And so it had a long history from then. The first antipsychotics were derived from methylene blue, actually, because methylene blue also works on the neurotransmitter system, increasing serotonin. dopamine and norepinephrine. And so the first antipsychotic in the 1950s was developed out of methylene blue itself.

It was also used in laboratory staining in chemistry labs. And this is actually how I first learned about it when I was in college. And the interesting thing about where it stains the cell is not surprisingly in the mitochondria itself. And so it concentrates in the mitochondria.

It was also used in laboratory staining in chemistry labs. And this is actually how I first learned about it when I was in college. And the interesting thing about where it stains the cell is not surprisingly in the mitochondria itself. And so it concentrates in the mitochondria.