Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) Ingestion Causes a Significant Resonance in Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectra of Brain and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Abstract

The use of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), available as an “over-the-counter” dietary supplement, led to the occurrence of an abnormal resonance at 3.15 ppm in the in vivo brain proton MR spectrum as well as the in vitro cerebrospinal fluid NMR study of a 4-year-old girl. The concentration of this compound amounted to 1.2 mmol/l in brain tissue and 1.7 mmol/l in cerebrospinal fluid. Our findings illustrate that ingestion of exogenous compounds, e.g., in medication, food or “innocent” supplements, may lead to abnormal resonances in spectroscopy studies that might be difficult to assign.

Key words

Methylsulfonylmethane - dimethyl sulfone - proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy - NMR

References

• 1 Cecil K M, Lin A, Ross B D, Egelhoff J C. Methylsulfonylmethane observed by in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a 5-year-old child with developmental disorder: effects of dietary supplementation.  J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2002;  26 818-820
• 2 Engelke U F, Tangerman A, Willemsen M A, Moskau D, Loss S, Mudd S H, Wevers R A. Dimethyl sulfone in human cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma confirmed by one-dimensional (1)H and two-dimensional (1)H-(13)C NMR.  NMR Biomed. 2005;  18 331-336
• 3 Fein G, Meyerhoff D J. Ethanol in human brain by magnetic resonance spectroscopy: correlation with blood and breath levels, relaxation, and magnetization transfer.  Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2000;  24 1227-1235
• 4 Kingsley P B, Shah T C, Woldenberg R. Identification of diffuse and focal brain lesions by clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy.  NMR Biomed. 2006;  19 435-462
• 5 Lin A, Nguy C H, Shic F, Ross B D. Accumulation of methylsulfonylmethane in the human brain: identification by multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.  Toxicol Lett. 2001;  123 169-177
• 6 Pouwels P JW, Frahm J. Regional metabolite concentrations in human brain as determined by quantitative localized proton MRS.  Magn Reson Med. 1998;  39 53-60
• 7 Rose S E, Chalk J B, Galloway G J, Doddrell D M. Detection of dimethyl sulfone in the human brain by in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.  Magn Reson Imaging. 2000;  18 95-98
• 8 Wevers R A, Engelke U, Wendel U, de Jong J G, Gabreels F J, Heerschap A. Standardized method for high-resolution 1H‐NMR of cerebrospinal fluid.  Clin Chem. 1995;  41 744-751
• 9 Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM).  Altern Med Rev. 2003;  8 438-441