# The mechanistic basis of Artemisia annua activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

> **NIH NIH R21** · WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE · 2020 · $243,442

## Abstract

Project summary/abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is difficult to treat in part because the bacterium that causes it, Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
is not easily killed by antibiotics. Furthermore, M. tuberculosis easily acquires high-level drug resistance through
mutations. As a consequence, six months or more of multi-drug treatment are required to fully cure a case of
TB and prevent relapse. To combat drug resistance and shorten treatment regimens, there is need for new
drugs, new targets, and improved understanding of the ways that drugs interact. Artemisia annua L. is a plant
that is the source of the antimalarial drug artemisinin. We have found that extracts of A. annua have strong
bactericidal activity against M. tuberculosis that cannot be fully explained by their artemisinin content. We
therefore hypothesize that A. annua contains one or more additional compounds with antimycobacterial activity.
To assess the potential of these compounds for development into TB drugs, we will (1) define the impact of A.
annua extracts on M. tuberculosis gene expression, (2) select for and sequence resistant mutants, (3)
determine how artemisinin and A. annua extracts interact with existing antimycobacterial agents, and (4) identify
and isolate A. annua compounds responsible for bactericidal activity against M. tuberculosis. Completion of this
work will identify A. annua compounds that exert antimycobacterial effects alone or in combination with each
other or artemisinin, and shed light on the mechanism(s) of action of these compounds as well as their potential
to synergize with existing drugs. The proposed studies will therefore provide foundational knowledge needed
to identify and further develop scaffolds with therapeutic potential.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9958034
- **Project number:** 1R21AI151481-01
- **Recipient organization:** WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Scarlet Sara Shell
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $243,442
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9958034

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9958034, The mechanistic basis of Artemisia annua activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (1R21AI151481-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9958034. Licensed CC0.

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