Repositioning Anti-Parasitic Drugs for Cancer Treatment: Analyzing drugs like ivermectin, fenbendazole and mebendazole for their potential to disrupt cancer cell or enhance chemotherapy
Antiparasite drugs such as ivermectin, fenbendazole, and mebendazole have shown promising potential in cancer therapy by disrupting cancer cell signaling and enhancing chemotherapy efficacy through multiple mechanisms. Fenbendazole Fenbendazole, a benzimidazole anthelmintic, exhibits several anti-cancer effects: Microtubule disruption: Fenbendazole acts as a moderate microtubule destabilizing agent, impairing microtubule polymerization which is critical for cancer cell division 4 6 . Metabolic interference: It inhibits glucose uptake by downregulating GLUT1 transporters and hexokinase II (HKII), key components of glycolysis, thereby starving cancer cells of energy and reversing drug resistance 1 4 6 . Activation of p53 pathway: Fenbendazole induces mitochondrial translocation of p53, promoting apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase 1 2 4 . Induction of multiple cell death pathways: It triggers apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis, including ...