Faculty of Science
Microbiology and Immunology

The Parkinson’s drug benztropine possesses histamine receptor 1-dependent host-directed antimicrobial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A chemical compound and graphs depicting bacterial growth

Publication Date

Publication Journal

NPJ Antimicrobials and Resistance

Author(s)

Henok A. Sahile, Matthew Christofferson, Morgan A. Alford, Celine Rens, Hasti Haghdadi, Joseph D. Chao, Georgia Langdon, Robert E. W. Hancock, Jeffrey Chen, and Yossef Av-Gay

The authors used high-content screening to test a library of drugs for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. They discovered that benztropine, a drug approved to treat Parkinson’s disease, significantly reduced bacterial loads in macrophage immune cells in vitro and in the lungs in an in vivo mouse model. They found that benztropine binds to a macrophage receptor that Mtb typically exploits, reactivating the immune cells’ ability to kill the bacterium. This study reveals the potential of host-directed therapeutics and repurposing approved drugs to treat tuberculosis and combat antimicrobial resistance.

  • Av-Gay Lab

Musqueam First Nation land acknowledegement

We honour xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam) on whose ancestral, unceded territory UBC Vancouver is situated. UBC Science is committed to building meaningful relationships with Indigenous peoples so we can advance Reconciliation and ensure traditional ways of knowing enrich our teaching and research.

Learn more: Musqueam First Nation

Microbiology and Immunology

1365–2350 Health Sciences Mall
Vancouver, BC Canada
V6T 1Z3

Faculty of Science

Office of the Dean, Earth Sciences Building
2178–2207 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC Canada
V6T 1Z4
UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Bluesky The logo for the Bluesky social media service. A bookmark An ribbon to indicate a special marker. Calendar A calendar. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Time A clock. Chats Two speech clouds. External link An arrow pointing up and to the right. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. A Facemask The medical facemask. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Lock, closed A closed padlock. Lock, open An open padlock. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Mask A protective face mask. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Money A money bill. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. RSS Curved lines indicating information transfer. Search A magnifying glass. Arrow indicating share action A directional arrow. Spotify The logo for the Spotify music streaming service. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.