Clinical Trial of Phenylbutyrate and Vitamin D in Tuberculosis (TB)

Vitamin D exerts its effects via the Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) present in activated macrophages and induces expression and release of the cathelicidin, LL-37, a human antimicrobial peptide involved in killing of MTB. We aimed to investigate whether treatment of newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients for 2 months with adjunctive PBA and vitamin D (Cholecalciferol) in combination with standard DOTS therapy (i) can improve response to standard short course TB therapy towards a rapid recovery; (ii) can induce expression of LL-37 in macrophages; (iii) can enhance killing capacity of macrophages isolated from TB patients infected in vitro with MTB; and (iv) does not evoke any adverse effects.