Methylsulfonylmethane: Applications and Safety of a Novel Dietary Supplement

Abstract

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) has become a popular dietary supplement used for a variety of purposes, including its most common use as an anti-inflammatory agent. It has been well-investigated in animal models, as well as in human clinical trials and experiments. A variety of health-specific outcome measures are improved with MSM supplementation, including inflammation, joint/muscle pain, oxidative stress, and antioxidant capacity. Initial evidence is available regarding the dose of MSM needed to provide benefit, although additional work is underway to determine the precise dose and time course of treatment needed to provide optimal benefits. As a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) approved substance, MSM is well-tolerated by most individuals at dosages of up to four grams daily, with few known and mild side effects. This review provides an overview of MSM, with details regarding its common uses and applications as a dietary supplement, as well as its safety for consumption.

Methylsulfonylmethane exhibits bacteriostatic inhibition of Escherichia coli , and Salmonella enterica Kinshasa, in vitro

“…; Butawan et al . ). MSM has been shown to suppress the transcription of nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cells (NF‐κB) by preventing translocation into the nucleus (Kim et al .…”

“…; Butawan et al . ). The NF‐κB signalling pathway induces up‐regulation of cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules.…”

“…It has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and is a dietary supplement for the treatment of osteoarthritis (Debbi et al 2011). It has been given Generally Regarded as Safe status by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is classified as a nutritional supplement for horses, dogs and humans (Butawan et al 2017). A recent study in poultry showed a single oral dose MSM at 1000-2000 or 1500 mg kg À1 BW for 21 days did not show any adverse health effects in the chickens, nor did MSM provide growth enhancement over unmedicated controls (Rasheed et al 2019).…”

“…It has been studied in vitro and in vivo and exerts multiple physiological effects including inhibition of cancer cells (Debbi et al 2011;Jafari et al 2012;Joung et al 2012;Bohlooli et al 2013;Ahn et al 2015;Butawan et al 2017). MSM has been shown to suppress the transcription of nuclear factor kappa-lightchain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-jB) by preventing translocation into the nucleus (Kim et al 2009;Butawan et al 2017). The NF-jB signalling pathway induces up-regulation of cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules.…”

Pharmacokinetic assessment of constituents of Boswellia serrata, pine bark extracts, curcumin in combination including methylsulfonylmethane in healthy volunteers

“…The major active chemicals are identified as procyanidins and phenolic acid including catechin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and taxifolin which exerts antioxidative, anti‐inflammatory and chondroprotective effects in vitro and in vivo . MSM is a naturally occurring sulphur compound found in some primitive plants used as a dietary supplement and alternative medicine which is documented to have antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and immune modulation properties …”