Methylene blue and single oxygen explored in a fly model of tauopathy

Sheik Mohideen S, Yamasaki Y, Omata Y, Tsuda L, Yoshiike Y. Nontoxic singlet oxygen generator as a therapeutic candidate for treating tauopathies. Sci Rep. 2015 Jun 1;5:10821. PMID: 26027742; PMCID: PMC4450544.

From the abstract: "Methylene blue (MB) inhibits the aggregation of tau, a main constituent of neurofibrillary tangles. However, MB's mode of action in vivo is not fully understood. MB treatment reduced the amount of sarkosyl-insoluble tau in Drosophila that express human wild-type tau. MB concurrently ameliorated the climbing deficits of transgenic tau flies to a limited extent and diminished the climbing activity of wild-type flies. MB also decreased the survival rate of wild-type flies. Based on its photosensitive efficacies, we surmised that singlet oxygen generated through MB under light might contribute to both the beneficial and toxic effects of MB in vivo. ... Our findings indicate that singlet oxygen generators with little toxicity may be suitable drug candidates for treating tauopathies."