Fenbendazole As a Cancer Drug

An animal anthelmintic used to treat parasitic worms in animals has shown potential as an effective cancer drug. This is thanks to research that shows similarities between parasitic cells and cancer cells.

But fenbendazole is not an established cancer treatment yet, and there isn’t enough evidence it can cure humans. There is also insufficient evidence it prevents cancer recurrence.

Antiparasitic

Fenbendazole is a veterinary drug used to treat intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and some tapeworms in animals. It works by interfering with the formation of microtubules, a protein scaffolding that establishes structure and shape in cells. Cells are commonly depicted as amorphous bags of various organelles floating in liquid, but they establish their shape through the cytoskeleton.

In 2021, researchers published a study showing that benzimidazole drugs such as mebendazole could inhibit the proliferation of cancerous cells in vitro. The researchers also found that a combination of mebendazole and radiation reduced tumor growth in mice with pancreatic cancer.

However, despite the promising results in cultured cells and animal models, there is no evidence that fenbendazole can actually treat or cure human cancers. A specialist cancer information nurse at Cancer Research UK told Full Fact that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that fenbendazole can cure cancer, and the drug hasn’t gone through clinical trials to see if it is safe and effective.

In addition, the Facebook post states that Tippens’ remission wasn’t due to fenbendazole alone, but rather in conjunction with other treatments such as acupuncture and curcumin. This doesn’t detract from the anecdotal evidence supporting Tippens’ story, but it does make it difficult to attribute his remission to fenbendazole alone.

Antitumor

Fenbendazole is an antiparasitic drug that has been marketed as a cancer treatment. The claims have been based on studies of cells and animal models, but have not been tested in humans. A specialist cancer information nurse told Full Fact that there is insufficient evidence to show fenbendazole can cure cancer, and that it has not been shown to be safe for human use.

In a study, researchers investigated whether fenbendazole (FZ) could inhibit the growth of cancer cells in vitro. They grew cultures of human ovarian carcinoma (HEC-1) and a mouse lung cancer cell line in permanox Petri dishes, sealed with gaskets to allow for the influx and efflux of oxygen, and maintained the conditions under hypoxia for 2 h before treatment.

The results showed that FZ reduced the proliferation of both HEC-1 and lung cancer cells by more than 50% in the presence of hypoxia, and that the effect was due to direct cellular interference. They also found that cells treated with FZ displayed a decrease in glucose uptake, indicating that the drug is toxic to cancer cells.

Antiviral

The benzimidazole antihelmintic drug fenbendazole has been shown to have multiple cellular targets that suppress tumor growth. In addition, fenbendazole has the ability to bypass mechanisms of resistance commonly observed in cancer therapy. This makes it an attractive candidate for repurposing as a cancer treatment.

Several preclinical studies have examined the efficacy of fenbendazole as a cancer treatment. These studies show that the drug can inhibit the growth of tumors in animal models and in human cells in vitro. In addition, it can enhance the cytotoxicity of radiation and docetaxel.

In a study of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells, fenbendazole suppressed HepG2 cell proliferation in the presence of radiation and caused apoptosis by targeting p21. In addition, fenbendazole significantly increased the sensitivity of HepG2 cells to radiation and docetaxel.

However, the claims that fenbendazole can cure cancer are unsubstantiated. A specialist cancer information nurse told Full Fact that fenbendazole has not gone through clinical trials in humans to see if it is a safe and effective treatment. There is also no evidence that fenbendazole would prevent recurrent cancer.

Antifungal

Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic for animals, which can be used to treat parasitic infections in humans. It is effective against worms such as ascaris, hookworm, and whipworms. It can also be used to kill tapeworms, including Taenia pisiformis and Dipylidium caninum.

The benzimidazoles, like fenbendazole, are well absorbed by the digestive tract after oral administration. However, they are extensively metabolized, and their metabolites predominate in the systemic circulation. These metabolites are less toxic to mammalian cells than the parent compounds.

Scientists have discovered that fenbendazole may help fight cancer in humans. The drug has been shown to inhibit the growth of human cancer cells by targeting microtubules. It works by binding to the tubulin in the cell, causing it to lose its shape and disrupting the microtubule equilibrium.

It also reduces glucose uptake in cancer cells, which can cause them to starve. The researchers say that this is an important step towards developing a treatment that can cure glioblastoma, which is the most common brain tumor in adults. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Antimicrobial

The antimicrobial drug fenbendazole is used to treat parasitic worms in humans and animals. It is an anthelmintic and is effective against ascarids, whipworms, hookworms, and a single species of tapeworm (Trichuris suis). In addition to its anthelmintic properties, it also exhibits antifungal activity. It is a benzimidazole carbamate that inhibits several enzymes involved in cell proliferation. Its pharmacological effects include inhibition of DNA synthesis, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis.

Studies conducted in the laboratory showed that fenbendazole has multiple antifungal effects on cryptococcosis. The drug was found to decrease the capsular dimensions and density, as well as phagocytic escape rates. Additionally, fenbendazole reduced the intracellular proliferation rate of C. neoformans and C. gattii strains H99 and R265, respectively.

The antifungal effect of fenbendazole was also demonstrated in a study with Amur Tigers, where the drug increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, whilst decreasing that of Actinobacteria and Echinococcus spp. It also caused a reduction in the number of Collinsella, Clostridium XI, and Megamonas bacteria. fenbendazole for humans