Dimethyl Sulfoxide Suppresses NMDA- and AMPA-Induced Ion Currents and Calcium Influx and Protects against Excitotoxic Death in Hippocampal Neurons

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is widely used in neuroscience research as a solvent for various pharmacological agents in both cell culture and in vivo studies and is also used in humans to treat musculoskeletal problems and pain. We now report that concentrations of DMSO to which neurons are typically exposed in experimental studies and in human patients (0.5-1.5%) inhibit glutamate responses in hippocampal neurons. DMSO suppresses, in a rapidly...