Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic medication that’s typically used for veterinary purposes. It’s also been shown to kill parasitic worms in humans.
But while anthelmintics can look promising in cell and animal studies, they can’t be proven to work as cancer treatments until they’re tested in humans during clinical trials.
It Inhibits the Growth of Cancer Cells
Bendimidazole anthelmintics are a group of drugs that have been shown to reduce tumor growth. These drugs include metronidazole and fenbendazole, two popular medications in the treatment of parasite infections. These drugs are able to shrink cancer cells by disrupting the normal cellular processes that viruses and some cancers utilize to grow and spread.
Researchers studied the effect of fenbendazole on colorectal cancer cell lines. They found that the drug caused a decrease in cell growth by inhibiting glucose uptake in the cells. This was due to the fact that fenbendazole destabilized microtubules and reduced the expression of GLUT 4 transporter. This prevented insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and starved the cells.
The authors also analyzed the effects of fenbendazole on radiation-induced cancers in mice. They found that the drug significantly inhibited the growth of tumors. However, the results did not show any relationship between the size of the tumor and fenbendazole’s anti-tumor activity. In addition, fenbendazole did not increase or decrease the number of spontaneous lung metastases seen on necropsy.
It Induces Apoptosis in Cancer Cells
Fenbendazole, an anthelmintic medication that is used to treat parasites in animals, has been promoted as a cancer treatment by unlicensed veterinarians on social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok. Although Health Canada lists fenbendazole for veterinary use only, researchers are investigating whether it can also be used as an anticancer drug.
According to the researchers, fenbendazole interferes with the formation of microtubules, protein structures that help establish the shape and structure of cells. Cells are often depicted in textbooks as floating bags of fluid, but they actually establish their structure and shape through the cytoskeleton, a scaffolding made of microtubules. For example, the cytoskeleton is required to line up and divide chromosomes evenly during mitosis.
The researchers found that fenbendazole caused apoptosis in both wild-type and 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer cells. They further confirmed that fenbendazole caused these effects in severe hypoxia by treating cells with varying doses of the compound, which were then assayed for survival. The survival curves showed that fenbendazole reduced the viability of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner under severe hypoxia.
It Increases Glucose Uptake in Cancer Cells
Several studies in cell cultures and animals have shown that fenbendazole, which belongs to the benzimidazole family, can stop cancer cells from growing. However, no peer-reviewed studies have found that the drug can cure cancer in humans.
One recent study examined the effect of fenbendazole on the growth of tumors in mice, and found that it reduced the growth of melanoma and pancreatic cancer tumors. The researchers also found that it could inhibit a key enzyme in the cell that regulates glucose uptake.
Another study in colorectal cancer cells showed that fenbendazole disrupted the microtubule structure and induced necroptosis by inhibiting pMLKL (phosphorylated mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein) and caspase-8. It also inhibited the expression of GLUT 4 (glucose transporter isoform 4) in these cells, restricting insulin-stimulated glucose absorption.
While it is true that the anecdotal experience of Joe Tippens has led to a movement around fenbendazole as a potential cancer cure, it’s important to note that no studies have found that it works. In fact, the only way to know whether something works is through randomized clinical trials that involve large numbers of patients.
It Inhibits the Growth of Parasites
The structure of a cancer cell depends on a structure called the mitotic spindle, which keeps the chromosomes evenly separated during cell division (mitosis). Fenbendazole interferes with this process and prevents cells from dividing, killing them.
In addition, fenbendazole for humans inhibits glucose uptake in cancer cells by blocking the expression of a glucose transporter. This halts insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, starving the cells.
According to researchers, drugs with multiple cellular targets may have improved efficacy and evade the development of drug resistance. These findings add to existing and growing scientific evidence linking various drugs in the benzimidazole family to cancer-fighting properties.
Unfortunately, despite these claims, there is no proof that fenbendazole can cure cancer in humans. While some studies in animal models can look promising, turning a drug that works in animals into an approved treatment for humans is a long journey.