Fenbendazole is an anthelmintic drug of the benzimidazole class. It is used in dogs, cats, rabbits, sheep, horses, and cattle against various gastrointestinal parasites, such as pinworms, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, and the tapeworm genus Taenia. It also prevents intestinal parasites in freshwater aquarium fish.

It works by interfering with the formation of microtubules, a protein scaffold that gives shape and structure to cells. While some studies have shown that fenbendazole can slow tumor growth in cell cultures, it is not a cure for cancer.

Fenbendazole is an anti-helminthic agent

Fenbendazole acts by interfering with the formation of microtubules, a component of the protein scaffold in cells. This structure establishes cell shape and allows it to move within the body to transport organelles and cargo. Textbook depictions of cells often show various cellular components floating in amorphous bags of liquid, but the reality is that these structures are held together by a protein-based scaffold known as the cytoskeleton. Fenbendazole interferes with the synthesis of this protein by binding to its precursor, tubulin.

The drug is used to treat numerous gastrointestinal and parasitic infections in animals. It has been shown to be effective against most intestinal helminth parasites in dogs, including Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Ancylostoma caninum, and Trichuris vulpis. It is also useful against pulmonary helminths, such as Giardia lamblia and Blastocystis hominis.

It is a potent inhibitor of nematode cells and is generally considered safe in livestock. However, it can cause bone marrow suppression and adverse effects on gut mucosa in some species. Multiple toxicity episodes have been reported in African White-backed Vultures (Gyps africanus) and Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala).

Fenbendazole is available in tablet, oral suspension, and injection forms. It is recommended that it be taken with food to reduce gastrointestinal upset. It is a chemotherapeutic agent and can be used in combination with other chemotherapy agents. While it is not widely used in humans, a few patients have experienced remission after taking fenbendazole.

It is a broad-spectrum anti-helminthic agent

Fenbendazole is a benzimidazole antihelmintic that is commonly used to treat gastrointestinal parasites in horses, dogs, cats, cattle, sheep, goats, and other animals. It is also effective against some trematodes that can cause gastrointestinal diseases in domesticated animals (Giardia spp, Heterobilharzia americana, and Platynosomum fastosum).

It interferes with the formation of microtubules, a protein scaffolding in cells that establishes their shape and movement. Textbook depictions of cells often show various cellular components floating in amorphous bags of liquid, but the cytoskeleton provides a much more rigid structure that can be assembled and disassembled as needed. Microtubules are composed of a molecule called tubulin, and fenbendazole interferes with the formation of this protein.

In a cell culture study, fenbendazole reduced the growth of EMT6 lung cancer tumors with a KRAS mutation in vitro. Its in vivo effects on tumor growth in mice were less dramatic, but the drug suppressed the RAS-related signaling pathway and caused apoptosis.

The benzimidazole family is extensively metabolized after oral administration in mammals, and the parent compound is rapidly eliminated. The intranasal administration of fenbendazole avoids first-pass metabolism by liver microsomes and improves its systemic bioavailability. Intranasal administration also allows drugs to reach the brain via the olfactory and trigeminal nerve pathways, bypassing the hepatic and intestinal tracts. In this way, it is more effective at reaching the intestines and central nervous system than oral administration alone.

It is a hepatotoxic agent

Fenbendazole is an inexpensive, broad-spectrum benzimidazole carbamate drug with antihelmintic activity and antiproliferative activity. It is also known to reduce tumor growth in mice and human cancer cells. It is widely used as an anthelmintic agent for dogs and is available as a prescription-only medication for nonsmall cell lung cancer patients. It is a member of the benzimidazole carbamate family and binds to tubulin, inhibiting microtubule polymerization and disrupting cell division. It is absorbed from the gut and is reduced to its active metabolite, oxfendazole, in the liver and rumen.

While some cancer patients claim that fenbendazole has helped them recover from their diseases, there is no scientific evidence that this is true. However, the drug has a low degree of toxicity and is often paired with other conventional cancer treatments. This combination could result in a greater response than if the patient were treated with either medication alone.

In a series of experiments, we examined the effect of a three-injection fenbendazole regimen on the growth and radiation response of EMT6 tumors in mice. The results showed that fenbendazole did not influence the growth of unirradiated tumors or the time to four-fold volume in irradiated tumors. The number of spontaneous lung metastases was also not affected by fenbendazole. However, hepatotoxicity was exacerbated in the fenbendazole-treated mice. This was attributed to increased plasma levels of free and acetaminophen-glucuronide.

It is a cytotoxic agent

Fenbendazole is a cytotoxic agent that has been shown to be effective in a variety of cancer cell lines. It also has antiparasitic activity. The drug is a member of the class of drugs known as benzimidazole carbamates and has antitumor effects in animal models. Its cellular effects are similar to those of other anticancer agents. These effects can be attributed to its ability to destabilize microtubules and promote cell death.

To evaluate the cytotoxic effect of fenbendazole, we used a nonradioactive cytotoxicity assay. RAW 264.7 macrophages were incubated with a range of concentrations of fenbendazole for 24 h and then assayed using the Cytotox 96 nonradioactive cytotoxicity kit (catalog number G1780; Promega, Madison, WI). The results showed that fenbendazole significantly inhibited the phagocytic capacity of the cells.

In addition, we conducted several studies to test the cytotoxicity of fenbendazole in hypoxic conditions. The cultures were sealed in permanox glass bottles with rubber gaskets, fitted with needles for the influx and efflux of gases, and exposed to a humidified mixture of 95% nitrogen/5% carbon dioxide with 1 ppm oxygen (4, 8). Concentrations of fenbendazole that were toxic to aerobic EMT6 cells were measured as both the surviving fraction and yield-corrected surviving fractions, which account for differences in cell numbers between treated and control cultures at the end of treatment. fenben lab fenbendazol