Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease

First isolated as a chemical compound by a Russian chemist in 1866, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) proved to be a near-perfect solvent for decades before its remarkable biological and medical activities were discovered. DMSO is one of the most prodigious agents ever to come out of the world of drug development. Its wide range of biological actions involving plants, animals, and humans has led to the publication of tens of thousands of articles in the scientific literature.

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease examines the major clinical uses of DMSO in humans as supported by basic evidence derived from experiments in animals, including its effects in disorders such as osteoarthritis, interstitial cystitis, gastrointestinal inflammatory changes, scleroderma, respiratory distress, myasthenia gravis, cardiac disease, traumatic brain injury, and Alzheimer’s disease.

The effects of DMSO on pain, cancer, stroke, and spinal cord injury are also discussed. The book explores how its chemical structure is able to react and deactivate toxic molecules generated by DNA damage, free radical formation, inflammation, oxidation, and infection. For the first time, the collective data on the biological, chemical, and medical actions of DMSO are presented and analyzed from the published scientific literature.

Clearly written, the book incorporates easy-to-understand scientific descriptions that appeal both to health care professionals and the millions of people worldwide who have used DMSO for an assortment of ailments as a prescriptive or off-label medication.

Stanley W. Jacob was a professor emeritus of surgery at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. He received his MD from Ohio State University and completed his surgical training at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He was a chief resident in surgery at Harvard Surgical Services and an instructor in surgery at Harvard School of Medicine before he was appointed to the faculty at Oregon Health Sciences University. Dr. Jacob discovered the medicinal properties of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). This discovery led to more than 20,000 publications in such areas as pain, inflammation, scleroderma, interstitial cystitis, arthritis, resistant tuberculosis, cancer, cryobiology, free radicals, stroke, and neuroprotection. Dr. Jacob received many honors during his career and also authored a dozen medical textbooks and more than 170 peer-reviewed articles.

Jack C. de la Torre is an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Texas in Austin. He began his work on dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the early 1970s shortly after his appointment as assistant professor in neurosurgery at the University of Chicago. Dr. de la Torre’s research revealed DMSO’s ability to quickly reduce intracranial pressure, restore cerebral blood flow, and stabilize respiration in nonhuman primates sustaining lethal traumatic brain injuries. For the next eight years, he extended his brain trauma findings and showed that intravenous administration of DMSO was effective in treating primary and secondary damage following experimental ischemic stroke and spinal cord trauma. Dr. de la Torre has published more than 180 peer-reviewed research articles and written or edited a dozen medical texts on pathology, neurotransmitters, and Alzheimer’s disease.