The DMSO lab’s all-purpose oil

When it comes to dimethyl sulfoxide, also known as DMSO, we think of cell cryopreservation.
The cell freeze of 6:3:1 is familiar to every scientific researcher who has done cell culture.
DMSO, a natural compound derived from trees, was first discovered as a result of paper making.
Papermakers found that after the bark was crushed and homogenized, a colorless and slightly yellowish liquid oozed out, which has the function of pain relief and rapid wound healing.
Many workers, accidentally working, get a cut on their hand, and use this liquid to relieve pain and reduce swelling.
The news spread quickly.
For a time, “Luoyang paper expensive”, this light, sticky liquid, its value far exceeds the paper.
How much money does it take to sell paper? Selling this stuff for money is cool.
Huge profits, the mystery of the veil, but also lured many scientists into a huge effort to study.
Subsequently, the DMSO structure was identified, containing two hydrophobic methyl groups and one hydrophilic thionyl group.
When we were in high school chemistry, we learned the principle of “similarity dissolves”.
“Structure determines function”, so the hydrophobic and hydrophilic combination of binary structure, determines that DMSO can dissolve other organic and inorganic substances, at the same time, can also be dissolved by other organic solvents and inorganic solvents, such as ethanol and water.
Like people in the workplace, people who can understand others and be understood by others, such a high EQ person, must be widely welcomed by everyone;
DMSO is the same in the scientific research community, with such excellent characteristics, it is regarded as a “universal solvent”, “universal oil”, “divine medicine”, and even called “God’s gift”.
Unfortunately, the only drawback of DMSO at that time was that the production volume was too small. Demand exceeds supply and prices are soaring.
There is an iron law of the market economy, that is, where there is demand, there must be innovation.
In 1866, when China was still under the reign of Cixi Lafayette, the Russian chemist, Alexander, targeted the compound and synthesized it in the laboratory for the first time.
DMSO prices have also fallen.
In the 1950s, British scientists found that DMSO could preserve cells at ultra-low temperatures. Today, the laboratory is widely used cell cryoprotectants, the core component is DMSO, the basic principle is derived from this discovery.
In the 1960s, cell protectants were extended to organ protection and used for organ protection during organ transplantation.
In 1965, Merck discovered that DMSO can cause damage to the human lens, and the study of DMSO was halted.
In the 1970s, DMSO research was revived, and DMSO is now approved for the treatment of interstitial cystitis.
In the new century, the use of DMSO to reduce swelling of brain tissue in closed brain injury was also approved.
It can be seen that everything in the world is the same: there is no perfect person, and there is no perfect thing, “his arsenic, my honey.”
DMSO has both good and bad sides, what we have to do is to “take the advantages and avoid the disadvantages”.
In biological and medical experiments, these two functions are most commonly used: one is to protect cells at low temperatures, and the other is used as a solvent to dissolve some strange things.
Especially some water and alcohol can not dissolve the east, must think of, with DMSO to try.
There are other applications, of course, and I won’t go into them.