Fenbendazole (methyl N-(6-phenylsulfanyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl) carbamate) is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic that acts by binding to b-tubulin microtubule subunits and disrupting their polymerization. Recently, benzimidazole compounds such as fenbendazole have been shown to display antitumor activities by triggering various cell pathways such as autophagy, ferroptosis, and apoptosis through tubulin binding. However, clinical trials have not yet been conducted to confirm these results in human cancer patients.
In this study, we conducted interviews with lung cancer patients who were self-administering fenbendazole in addition to their conventional treatments, and determined that they had acquired information about this treatment via YouTube videos of Joe Tippens, a patient who claims to have healed himself by taking anthelmintics. We also conducted a semi-structured questionnaire survey with cancer patients to collect information on their perception of the effect of fenbendazole.
In vitro experiments showed that fenbendazole caused time-dependent inhibition of the proliferation of SNU-C5 and SNU-C5/5-FUR cells, with an IC50 value close to 10 times higher than albendazole for both types of cells. Furthermore, fenbendazole was found to induce apoptosis in SNU-C5 and SNU-C5/5-FUR cancer cells by regulating p53-p21 pathways, mitochondrial injury, caspase-3 activation, and decreased expression of GPX4 and Beclin-1. Thus, fenbendazole induced apoptosis through multiple mechanisms to inhibit tumor growth in human CRC cells. fenbendazole for humans