Seventy-year-old Parkinson's drug shows promise against tuberculosis (Benztropine)

Medical Xpress / University of British Columbia / npj Antimicrobials and Resistance ^ | Aug. 12, 2025 | Brett Goldhawk / Henok A. Sahile et al

[ConservativeMind]

A medication developed in the 1950s to treat Parkinson's disease may offer a powerful new tool in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), according to new research.

The study found that benztropine can dramatically reduce levels of TB-causing bacteria by boosting the body's natural immune response.

TB is the world's deadliest infectious disease. Treatment requires a months-long regimen of multiple antibiotics, which can have serious side effects and is increasingly challenged by the emergence of drug-resistant bacterial strains.

Tuberculosis is particularly difficult to treat because the bacteria responsible, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is able to infect and survive within the very immune cells designed to destroy pathogens, known as macrophages.

While antibiotics work by killing the bacteria directly, benztropine functions through an alternative approach that supercharges immune cells to fight back. The drug blocks a receptor on macrophages that TB bacteria exploit, allowing the cells to regain their ability to kill the invaders.

The researchers say treatments that enhance the body's natural defenses, known as host-directed therapies, could offer significant benefits in the fight against TB.

To identify benztropine, the team screened a library of more than 240 U.S. FDA-approved drugs by testing each compound on immune cells infected with TB.

Benztropine emerged as a standout candidate, capable of significantly reducing TB bacterial counts in experiments with both human and mouse immune cells. The researchers then tested benztropine in mice infected with TB, with oral treatment leading to a 70% reduction in bacterial load in the lungs—comparable to some current TB treatments.

The drug showed similar effectiveness in a separate mouse model of Salmonella infection, suggesting its potential as a treatment for a wide range of pathogens.

Because benztropine is already approved for use in humans, the researchers say the findings could accelerate its path to clinical testing for TB and other infections.

---

TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: treatment; tuberculosis

[ConservativeMind]

Benztropine reduced the TB bacterial load by 70%. It was also found to be effective against Salmonella.

It is available now from Walmart for under $5 a prescription.

[ConservativeMind]

The “Take Charge Of Your Health” Ping List
This high volume ping list is for health articles and studies which describe something you or your doctor, when informed, may be able to immediately implement for your benefit.

Email me to get on either the “Common/Top Issues” (20 - 25% fewer pings) or “Everything” list.

[Mark]

BKMK

[trebb]

Always finding new uses for old drugs - many still scoff at Ivermectin, but it has also been shown to fight certain bacterial infections....

[sauropod]

Bkmk