There’s no evidence fenbendazole, or other benzimidazole drugs, cure cancer. These are anthelmintic drugs, used to treat parasites in animals.
Fenbendazole is a benzimidazole carbamate that has a wide antiparasitic spectrum in different animal species. It also exerts polymerization inhibitory effects toward tubulin, the major component of microtubules. Microtubules are required for cell division and provide structure to cells.
It Inhibits the Growth of Cancer Cells
In the laboratory (in vitro), fenbendazole blocks cancer cell growth and promotes cellular death. It’s also shown to block cellular reprogramming by inhibiting the activity of the protein mTOR.
In 2019, Joe Tippens, a former small-cell lung cancer patient, made headlines when he told news outlets that he had cured his cancer with fenbendazole, a drug used to treat parasitic infections in animals (common brands include Panacur and Safe-Guard). Tippens claimed to have been able to rid himself of stage four cancer by following the “Joe Tippens protocol.” However, as Full Fact has reported, there isn’t enough evidence from randomized clinical trials showing that fenbendazole cures cancer in humans.
A new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine reports that a drug developed at Stanford can shrink and prevent the spread of tumors in mice. The research is based on the theory that some viruses and some cancer cells rely on the same processes to grow and divide, so drugs that disrupt those processes could kill cancer cells.
The researchers developed a compound called sulfaphenazole, which is structurally related to fenbendazole and acts as an ER inhibitor. They encapsulated the drug into micelles to increase its bioavailability and tested several formulation ratios. The best combination — sulfaphenazole in micelles combined with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin — prevented microtubule polymerization, induced cell death and inhibited the reprogramming of OC cells to become immortal.
It Inhibits Glucose Uptake in Cancer Cells
The drug fenbendazole is an over-the-counter antiparasitic that’s used to treat rodent pinworm infections. It has also become a popular cancer treatment after a man named Joe Tippens claimed it cured his cancer. But is it really safe for people to ingest? Health Feedback recently looked at the evidence, and found it isn’t clear if fenbendazole cures cancer.
One of the main reasons is that it can cause a toxic reaction in some patients, especially those with liver problems. It’s also not well-studied, so we don’t know if it actually works for cancer patients. There are some studies showing that fenbendazole can slow down the growth of cancer cells in laboratory tests, but these aren’t always replicated when tested in humans.
Another issue is that fenbendazole interferes with the activity of microtubules, which are important for cell division. Microtubules are responsible for lining up the chromosomes during the metaphase stage of mitosis. This ensures that the chromosomes are divided evenly, which is necessary for normal cell growth and survival. However, drugs that interfere with microtubules can also disrupt the division of cells and cause them to grow out of control.
Researchers have been trying to develop new cancer treatments that can target these problems. But it’s a long process and costs a lot of money to get a drug from discovery to the market. In addition, most new drugs fail in clinical trials. So, repurposing drugs that have shown promise in animal models may be a more efficient way to develop effective cancer treatments.
It Stabilizes WT p53
A specialist cancer information nurse from Cancer Research UK told Full Fact that fenbendazole has not been proven to be effective as a cancer treatment in humans. She said it is important to remember that while drug studies in cells and animals can look promising, we cannot know whether a drug will work or be safe in humans until it has been tested clinically.
The team behind the study found that fenbendazole inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in cancer cells by blocking their access to glucose. This is because the drug blocks phosphorylation of the enzyme AMPK, which normally controls the metabolism of glucose. This causes the cells to deplete their glycogen stores and to stop producing ATP, which is an essential energy source for cell growth.
In addition, the drug also interferes with the formation of microtubules. This is a protein scaffolding that establishes the shape and structure of cells. It is composed of a polymer called tubulin, which binds to other proteins that form the cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton allows cells to change shape and move, as well as transport organelles or cargo.
The researchers found that fenbendazole disrupts the assembly of these microtubules in cancer cells, causing them to disassemble and break down. They also discovered that the drug stabilizes the WT p53 tumor suppressor, increasing its ability to induce cell death.
It Induces Cell Death
The researchers used a technique called immunofluorescence to study cellular structures and found that fenbendazole disrupts the microtubule network around the nucleus. This results in cell death. The research team also treated mice with fenbendazole, and the drug caused tumours to shrink in size. The researchers say that fenbendazole acts through moderate microtubule disruption, p53 stabilization and interference with glucose metabolism to inhibit cancer cell growth. This explains why it may boost the effectiveness of radiation therapy, surgery and other chemotherapeutic treatments.
In addition to destroying parasites, fenbendazole can kill cancer cells by blocking their ability to divide. This is because it interferes with the structure of a cellular molecule called mitotic spindle. This is the mechanism by which chromosomes are lined up at the metaphase stage of cell division and then separated equally during anaphase. During cell division, the mitotic spindle is held in place by a protein known as a cyclin. Cyclin is linked to the cytoskeleton and microtubules, which are essential for cell movement and division.
The researchers found that fenbendazole caused apoptosis in 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 and SNU-C5/5-FUR colorectal cancer cells. The cells were also treated with the iron chelators ferrostatin-1 and deferoxamine mesylate (DFOM) to investigate whether the fenbendazole-induced cell death was related to autophagy, necrosis or ferroptosis. DFOM and ferrostatin-1 prevented fenbendazole-induced apoptosis, but they did not prevent ferroptosis or necrosis. fenbendazole for humans cancer
