Front Cell Neurosci
. 2015 May 12;9:179. doi:
10.3389/fncel.2015.00179 Protection against neurodegeneration with low-dose methylene blue and near-infrared light
"]F Gonzalez-Lima 1,*,
"]Allison Auchter 1 PMCID: PMC4428125 PMID:
26029050
Neurons are metabolically protected against degeneration using low-level methylene blue and near-infrared light interventions. Both of these novel interventions act by a cellular mechanism involving enhancement of the electron transport chain in mitochondria, which promotes energy metabolism and neuronal survival (Gonzalez-Lima et al.,
2014). Methylene blue preferentially enters neuronal mitochondria after systemic administration, and at low-doses forms an electron cycling redox complex that donates electrons to the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Low-level near-infrared light applied transcranially delivers photons to cortical neurons that are accepted by cytochrome oxidase, which causes increased cell respiration and cerebral blood flow. Breakthrough
in vivo studies with these interventions suggest that targeting mitochondrial respiration may be beneficial for protection against different types of neurodegenerative disorders.