Methylene Blue Ameliorates Olfactory Dysfunction and Motor Deficits - PubMed
Biju et al./PubMed/2019
Why It Matters
This paper caught my attention because smell loss often shows up years before motor symptoms in Parkinson's, and current PD medications don't help with it at all. The fact that methylene blue improved both suggests it might be doing something fundamentally different—protecting the brain cells rather than just managing symptoms. But this is mouse data using a toxin model, not actual human Parkinson's, so the gap between this and clinical relevance is substantial.
Key Findings
- Mice given 1 mg/kg/day methylene blue in drinking water showed significant improvement in motor coordination compared to untreated MPTP mice
- Methylene blue protected tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in the substantia nigra and their terminals in the striatum from MPTP-induced degeneration
- Olfactory dysfunction (smell loss) improved with methylene blue treatment—a benefit not seen with standard Parkinson's medications
- Treatment started after olfactory dysfunction appeared (not preventatively), suggesting potential therapeutic rather than just preventive effects
- The dose used (1 mg/kg/day) is considerably lower than doses tested in previous acute PD models, delivered via drinking water rather than injection
Read the Paper↗PMID: 29684508