Methylsulfonylmethane is a naturally occurring compound, an organosulphur, the oxidised form of dimethyl sulphoxide and is found naturally in fruits, cereals, vegetables in small quantities and in particular has been found in the plants Psidium guajava and Aloe africana.

Industrially it appears in the form of a white powder. 

What it is used for and where

Medical

As osteoarthritis is one of the most diagnosed forms of arthritis, the interest of many researchers has focused on possible remedies and studies have been conducted on methylsulphonylmethane. This natural compound has been found to not only reduce pain, but also, more importantly, to decrease impairment of physical function (1).

Other studies have confirmed its hepatoprotective (2), anti-inflammatory (3) activity.

Methylsulfonylmethane studies

Molecular Formula   C₂H₆O₂S

Linear Formula   (CH₃)₂SO₂

Molecular Weight      94.14

CAS  67-71-0

UNII    9H4PO4Z4FT

EC Number   200-665-9

DSSTox ID  DTXSID4043937

IUPAC  methylsulfonylmethane

InChl=1S/C2H6O2S/c1-5(2,3)4/h1-2H3

InChl Key      HHVIBTZHLRERCL-UHFFFAOYSA-N

SMILES  CS(=O)(=O)C

MDL number  MFCD00007566

PubChem Substance ID    329756159

ChEBI  9349

RTECS  PB2785000

NCI    C84616

RXCUI   23247

NSC      63345    

Beilstein    1737717

NACRES  NA.24

Synonyms:

• methyl sulfone
• dimethyl sulfone
• methyl sulfonmethane

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Kim LS, Axelrod LJ, Howard P, Buratovich N, Waters RF. Efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) in osteoarthritis pain of the knee: a pilot clinical trial. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2006 Mar;14(3):286-94. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2005.10.003. 

(2) Kamel, R., & El Morsy, E. M. (2013). Hepatoprotective effect of methylsulfonylmethane against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in rats. Archives of pharmacal research, 36, 1140-1148.

(3) Butawan, M., Benjamin, R. L., & Bloomer, R. J. (2017). Methylsulfonylmethane: applications and safety of a novel dietary supplement. Nutrients, 9(3), 290.