“diy transdermal delivery stuff”
“DMSO is sometimes used in lab tests on labrats to help give drugs transdermally”
also, ISRIB delivery…
DMSO doesn’t chemically modify or “cut” DNA, but it has pronounced physical effects on the double helix’s stability and mechanics:
Lowers melting temperature and denatures via H‑bond competition
DMSO competes with water for hydrogen‑bond donors/acceptors in base pairs, weakening A–T and G–C bonds. As little as 5–10 % DMSO in aqueous solution can drop DNA’s melting temperature by 5–10 °C, and higher concentrations can induce partial denaturation even at room temperature (ResearchGate, Wikipedia).Alters DNA flexibility, torque, and compaction
Single‑molecule studies (magnetic tweezers, AFM) show that up to 20 % DMSO:
- Bending persistence length decreases linearly by ∼0.43 % per 1 % DMSO, making DNA more flexible.
- Helical twist remains largely unchanged up to 20 %, with slight unwinding only at very high DMSO.
- End‑to‑end distance (overall contour) compacts by ∼1.2 % per 1 % DMSO (Bohrium).
Prevents secondary structures—PCR enhancer
In PCR, ≤ 10 % DMSO is routinely added to destabilize GC‑rich hairpins and other folds, allowing primers to bind and polymerase to extend more efficiently (PubMed).High concentrations induce chemical denaturation
Above 30–40 %, DMSO can act like strong denaturants (formamide, urea), fully separating strands and preventing native B‑form from re‑annealing without heat (Wikipedia).No covalent or structural “damage” under typical use
DMSO is an aprotic solvent that does not form covalent adducts with nucleotides at the concentrations used in biochemical assays. Its actions are purely physical—altering hydrogen bonding and hydration, not chemically altering the DNA backbone or bases (Wikipedia).
Bottom line:
DMSO is a powerful physical modulator of DNA: it lowers strand stability, increases flexibility, and prevents unwanted secondary structures (hence its PCR use), but it doesn’t chemically modify the molecule. At very high concentrations, it can chemically denature the helix outright, but it won’t “damage” DNA in the covalent‑chemistry sense at typical laboratory doses.
if you’re gonna go down those routes at least make sure the solvents are pure!