Cited by 65Tuberculosis Research and EpidemiologyEssential Oils and Antimicrobial ActivitySesquiterpenes and Asteraceae Studies

Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra extracts exhibit strong bactericidal activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

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Martini, Maria Carla, Zhang, Tianbi, Williams, John T., Abramovitch, Robert B., Weathers, Pamela J., Shell, Scarlet S.·2020·Journal of Ethnopharmacology

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Abstract

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Emergence of drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains is a major barrier to tuberculosis (TB) eradication, as it leads to longer treatment regimens and in many cases treatment failure. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore new TB drugs and combinations, in order to shorten TB treatment and improve outcomes. Here, we evaluated the potential of two Asian and African traditional medicinal plants, Artemisia annua, a natural source of artemisinin (AN), and Artemisia afra, as sources of novel antitubercular agents. AIM OF THE STUDY: Our goal was to measure the activity of A. annua and A. afra extracts against Mtb as potential natural and inexpensive therapies for TB treatment, or as sources of compounds that could be further developed into effective treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of A. annua and A. afra dichloromethane extracts were determined, and concentrations above the MICs were used to evaluate their ability to kill Mtb and Mycobacterium abscessus in vitro. RESULTS: Previous studies showed that A. annua and A. afra inhibit Mtb growth. Here, we show for the first time that Artemisia extracts have a strong bactericidal activity against Mtb. The killing effect of A. annua was much stronger than equivalent concentrations of pure AN, suggesting that A. annua extracts kill Mtb through a combination of AN and additional compounds. A. afra, which produces very little AN, displayed bactericidal activity against Mtb that was substantial but weaker than that of A. annua. In addition, we measured the activity of Artemisia extracts against Mycobacterium abscessus. Interestingly, we observed that while A. annua is not bactericidal, it inhibits growth of M. abscessus, highlighting the potential of this plant in combinatory therapies to treat M. abscessus infections. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that Artemisia extracts have an enormous potential for treatment of TB and M. abscessus infections, and that these plants contain bactericidal compounds in addition to AN. Combination of extracts with existing antibiotics may not only improve treatment outcomes but also reduce the emergence of resistance to other drugs.

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  1. Mativandlela SPN, Meyer JJM, Hussein AA, Houghton PJ, Hamilton CJ, Lall N, 2008 Activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis and M. tuberculosis by extract of South African medicinal plants. Phytotherapy Research: An International Journal Devoted to Pharmacological and Toxicological Evaluation of Natural Product Derivatives 22(6), 841– 845. 18412151

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Authors
Martini, M. C., Zhang, T., Williams, J. T., Abramovitch, R. B., Weathers, P. J., & Shell, S. S.
Affiliations
  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute (US)
  • Michigan State University (US)
Corresponding author
Shell, Scarlet S.
Venue
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-11
Volume
262
Pages
113191
ISSN
0378-8741 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3045390047
Cited by
65
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 2
FWCI
1.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Ethnopharmacology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH-2R15AT008277-02)
  • National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Sesquiterpenes and Asteraceae Studies
Keywords
Artemisia annua, Artemisia afra, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium abscessus, bactericidal activity, artemisinin, antitubercular agents, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, plant extracts, traditional medicinal plants, combination therapy, minimum inhibitory concentration
MeSH terms
Antitubercular Agents, Humans, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Plant Extracts, Artemisia, Artemisia annua

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