Fenbendazole (FZ) is an antiparasitic drug that also has cancer-fighting properties. It inhibits microtubule polymerization and blocks glucose uptake. It is effective in inhibiting tumor growth in vitro and in vivo.
A video circulating on TikTok and Facebook claims that the dog deworming medication fenbendazole cures cancer. However, this claim is unproven. It is based on preclinical studies in animals and cell cultures, but has not gone through any clinical trials in humans.
Fenbendazole is an anthelmintic
Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic that is effective against various intestinal parasites. It is used in livestock and other animals to treat gastrointestinal helminths such as giardia, roundworms, whipworms, the Taenia genus of tapeworms, pinworms, and strongyloides. It also acts against nematodes.
It works by interfering with the formation of microtubules, a component of the protein scaffold that gives cells their shape and structure. Textbook depictions of cells often show them floating in amorphous bags of liquid, but in actuality, they establish their shape and structure through the cytoskeleton, which is made up of microtubules.
The pharmacological action of fenbendazole is based on its ability to depolymerize the tetrameric form of tubulin, which is involved in cell assembly and chromosome segregation. Its mode of action is similar to those of other drugs that have been approved for human use, including paclitaxel and vincristine. The combination of fenbendazole and these drugs has been shown to improve the outcome of chemotherapy.
It slows down cancer cell growth
A man named Tippens cured his cancer by ingesting fenbendazole (also known as Safe-Guard) and created a website to share his story. But his claims were based on anecdotal evidence and have not been independently verified.
Earlier research suggests that anthelmintic drugs like fenbendazole can slow down cancer cell growth. These antiparasitic drugs bind to the tubulin microtubule and disrupt the equilibrium of polymerization. Moreover, they inhibit the accumulation of a protein called tau. This protein is involved in cellular trafficking and apoptosis.
Scientists have also found that fenbendazole and the related drug mebendazole can decrease cell proliferation in vitro. They can even reduce tumor size and metastasis in animals.
However, there is no evidence that fenbendazole can cure cancer in humans. In addition, the drug hasn’t been tested in randomized clinical trials. A specialist cancer information nurse tells Full Fact that it’s impossible to know if something will work in people until it’s tested in a controlled clinical trial.
It triggers apoptosis
Fenbendazole, a broad-spectrum antiparasitic, was found to induce multiple intracellular changes including apoptosis and necroptosis in cancer cells. It also inhibited cell growth and reduced colony formation in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. These effects were mediated by a combination of p53-p21 pathways and mitochondrial injury.
The cellular response to fenbendazole was also affected by autophagy and ferroptosis. However, apoptosis was more effective in CRC cells than ferroptosis and autophagy. This was attributed to decreased expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4).
Although fenbendazole has shown promising results in laboratory studies, there’s still no evidence that it works in people. Some anecdotal stories of patients who were cured by fenbendazole have been reported, but these cases lack proper scientific validation. Moreover, these reports often neglect to mention that the patients also received conventional cancer treatment. As a result, it’s important to remember that a drug only becomes a valid cancer therapy if it’s shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials.
It kills cancer cells
The drug fenbendazole kills cancer cells by interfering with the formation of microtubules. These structures provide structure and shape to cells, and are essential for the transport of organelles within a cell. Although textbook depictions of a cell may portray the components floating in amorphous bags of liquid, the structure and shape are actually established by a protein scaffold called the cytoskeleton.
These structures are made up of polymerized proteins, including a protein called tubulin. Fenbendazole binds to tubulin and prevents it from forming polymerized microtubules. It also inhibits the formation of a cyclin-dependent kinase 1 complex, which is necessary for progression from G2 to mitosis. In addition, fenbendazole triggers apoptosis via caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). fenbendazole cancer treatment