DMSO is an organic solvent that is freely miscible with water, lipids and organic agents.Superior membrane penetration is made possible by these characteristics. It is believed that DMSO acts through a combination of nerve blockade, smooth muscle relaxation, collagen inhibition, and anti-inflammatory effects[2].

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Question: What is the stock concentration of a compound (e.g. in DMSO) do you recommend to use?
Answer: Usually 10 mM, 20 mM, or 50 mM. For preparing DMSO stock solutions, we suggest you to prepare a 10 mM or higher concentrations of a compound, as a more than 1000x dilution would be applied typically when making final concentrations of a compound in cell culture media, this is to minimize any solvent effects on your cells (typically less than 0.5% of DMSO might be used for most of cells).
Typically<0.5-1% DMSO is tolerable by most cancer cells in culture media. For more sensitive cells such as primary cells, try to use <0.1% DMSO in the cell culture media.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a widely used solvent that is miscible with water and a wide range of organic solvents. It goes by several names, including methyl sulfoxide, sulfinylbismethane, and dozens of trade names.
DMSO was first discovered in the late 19th century as a byproduct of the kraft process for making paper from wood pulp. About the same time, Russian chemist Alexander Zaytsev synthesized it by oxidizing dimethyl sulfide, another kraft process byproduct. Zaytsev’s synthesis is the basis for the manufacturing process still used today.
DMSO is a laboratory and industrial solvent for many gases, synthetic fibers, paint, hydrocarbons, salts, and natural products. Because it is aprotic, relatively inert, nontoxic, and stable at high temperatures, it is a frequently used solvent for chemical reactions. Its deuterated form is an ideal solvent for NMR spectroscopy.
In the 1960s, scientists observed that DMSO penetrates human skin with little effect on tissues; and the solvent was tested as a way for medicines to be carried into the body as an alternative to oral formulations or injectables. Since then, DMSO has been used in some transdermal drug delivery systems (i.e., patches). In 1978 the US Food and Drug Administration approved it for use for the symptomatic relief of chronic interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome)—the only FDA approval for DMSO as an actual medication.
As one might expect for the 1960s, DMSO was tried as an alternative drug for inflammation relief and as a solvent for introducing illicit drugs such as cocaine into the body. It was also wrongly touted as a cancer cure. In 1965, FDA put the kibosh on much of this activity by banning clinical trials with DMSO because the compound altered the refractive index of eye lenses of laboratory animals. The ban was lifted in 1980 after the intense interest in the substance abated.
Researchers continue to look at DMSO as a possible medical treatment. In 2016, Gerald Krystal and colleagues at the British Columbia Cancer Agency (Vancouver), the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), and Vancouver General Hospital reported that DMSO represses inflammatory cytokine production from human blood cells and thus reduces autoimmune arthritis. The authors also examined whether DMSO has any anticancer activity; they concluded that they could not confirm that it does.[3]

Note: In animal experiments, the percentage of DMSO should be maintained within a certain range to avoid toxicity to animals and to obtain accurate experiment results. For normal/healthy adult mice, it is recommended that the final concentration/percentage of DMSO should not exceed 10%. However, for weak and sickly individuals or nude mice, it is recommended to keep the final concentration/percentage of DMSO below 2% (<2%).
1) For normal mice, it is recommended that the final concentration of DMSO should not exceed 10%.
2) For nude or weak mice, it is recommended that the final concentration of DMSO should not exceed 2%.
3) If the frequency of administration exceeds three times a day, it is recommended that the final concentration of DMSO should not exceed 5% for normal mice or rats.

[1]. C F Brayton. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO): a review. Cornell Vet. 1986 Jan;76(1):61-90.

[2]. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as intravesical therapy for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: A review. Neurourol Urodyn. 2017 Sep;36(7):1677-1684.

[3]. https://www.acs.org/molecule-of-the-week/archive/d/dimethyl-sulfoxide.html

C2H6OS

78.13

78.01393

67-68-5

Colorless to off-white liquid (>18.4°C) or solid (<18.4°C);
Melting Point: 18.4 °C

-1.35

36.28

S(C([H])([H])[H])(C([H])([H])[H])=O

IAZDPXIOMUYVGZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N

InChI=1S/C2H6OS/c1-4(2)3/h1-2H3

methylsulfinylmethane

dimethyl sulfoxide;Methyl sulfoxide; Methylsulfinylmethane; Dimethylsulfoxide; Dimethyl sulphoxide

2934.99.9001

Powder      -20°C    3 years

                     4°C     2 years

In solvent   -80°C    6 months

                  -20°C    1 month

Note: Please store DMSO in a sealed and protected environment, avoid exposure to moisture.

Room temperature (This product is stable at ambient temperature for a few days during ordinary shipping and time spent in Customs)

Note: It is recommended to use freshly opened DMSO, as DMSO is highly hydroscopic and moisture absorption has a significant impact on the solubility of the products.

Note: Listed below are some common formulations that may be used to formulate products with low water solubility (e.g. < 1 mg/mL), you may test these formulations using a minute amount of products to avoid loss of samples.

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Injection Formulation 1: DMSO : Tween 80： Saline = 10 : 5 : 85 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO stock solution → 50 μL Tween 80 → 850 μL Saline)
*Preparation of saline: Dissolve 0.9 g of sodium chloride in 100 mL ddH ₂ O to obtain a clear solution.
Injection Formulation 2: DMSO : PEG300 ：Tween 80 : Saline = 10 : 40 : 5 : 45 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 400 μLPEG300 → 50 μL Tween 80 → 450 μL Saline)
Injection Formulation 3: DMSO : Corn oil = 10 : 90 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 900 μL Corn oil)
Example: Take the Injection Formulation 3 (DMSO : Corn oil = 10 : 90) as an example, if 1 mL of 2.5 mg/mL working solution is to be prepared, you can take 100 μL 25 mg/mL DMSO stock solution and add to 900 μL corn oil, mix well to obtain a clear or suspension solution (2.5 mg/mL, ready for use in animals).

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Injection Formulation 4: DMSO : 20% SBE-β-CD in saline = 10 : 90 [i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 900 μL (20% SBE-β-CD in saline)]
*Preparation of 20% SBE-β-CD in Saline (4°C，1 week): Dissolve 2 g SBE-β-CD in 10 mL saline to obtain a clear solution.
Injection Formulation 5: 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin : Saline = 50 : 50 (i.e. 500 μL 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin → 500 μL Saline)
Injection Formulation 6: DMSO : PEG300 : castor oil : Saline = 5 : 10 : 20 : 65 (i.e. 50 μL DMSO → 100 μLPEG300 → 200 μL castor oil → 650 μL Saline)
Injection Formulation 7: Ethanol : Cremophor : Saline = 10： 10 : 80 (i.e. 100 μL Ethanol → 100 μL Cremophor → 800 μL Saline)
Injection Formulation 8: Dissolve in Cremophor/Ethanol (50 : 50), then diluted by Saline
Injection Formulation 9: EtOH : Corn oil = 10 : 90 (i.e. 100 μL EtOH → 900 μL Corn oil)
Injection Formulation 10: EtOH : PEG300：Tween 80 : Saline = 10 : 40 : 5 : 45 (i.e. 100 μL EtOH → 400 μLPEG300 → 50 μL Tween 80 → 450 μL Saline)

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Oral Formulation 1: Suspend in 0.5% CMC Na (carboxymethylcellulose sodium)
Oral Formulation 2: Suspend in 0.5% Carboxymethyl cellulose
Example: Take the Oral Formulation 1 (Suspend in 0.5% CMC Na) as an example, if 100 mL of 2.5 mg/mL working solution is to be prepared, you can first prepare 0.5% CMC Na solution by measuring 0.5 g CMC Na and dissolve it in 100 mL ddH2O to obtain a clear solution; then add 250 mg of the product to 100 mL 0.5% CMC Na solution, to make the suspension solution (2.5 mg/mL, ready for use in animals).

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Oral Formulation 3: Dissolved in PEG400
Oral Formulation 4: Suspend in 0.2% Carboxymethyl cellulose
Oral Formulation 5: Dissolve in 0.25% Tween 80 and 0.5% Carboxymethyl cellulose
Oral Formulation 6: Mixing with food powders

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Note: Please be aware that the above formulations are for reference only. InvivoChem strongly recommends customers to read literature methods/protocols carefully before determining which formulation you should use for in vivo studies, as different compounds have different solubility properties and have to be formulated differently.

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 (Please use freshly prepared in vivo formulations for optimal results.)