A veterinary drug used to treat parasites in dogs has gained attention after cancer patients claimed it cured their terminal illnesses. The claim was based on videos posted by an unlicensed veterinarian, which were reposted on TikTok and Facebook.
To investigate the validity of this information, dissolution and analytical studies were conducted for two commercial brands of fenbendazole (analytical standard and Brand P or Brand S). The products were also tested against seven different types of cancer cells.
Glucose Intake
Glucose is the primary energy source for all cells. It comes from foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products as well as processed sugars in breads, pasta, and sweetened beverages. Some people wonder whether sugar feeds cancer, as most cancer cells grow faster than normal cells. While there is some evidence that cancer cells may use glucose more efficiently than normal cells, this does not mean that consuming more sugar feeds cancer or makes it grow faster.
The Warburg effect describes a reprogramming of tumor cell glucose metabolism to meet increased metabolic demands. It is caused by the upregulation of glucose transporters (GLUT1 and GLUT3) by HIF-1a and AKT in most cancers. Glucose uptake is a strong predictor of prognosis. It can be visualized using positron emission tomography with the radiolabeled glucose analog 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose.
While there are some unlicensed veterinarian videos claiming that fenbendazole, an animal anthelmintic, cures human cancer, there is no scientific evidence that this drug has any effect on human cancer. Nevertheless, research into this class of drugs is ongoing.
Mitosis
In human cells, the genetic information contained in chromosomes must be accurately transferred to daughter cells. This process is known as mitosis. It involves two cellular divisions and is divided into five morphologically distinct phases known as prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Mitosis ensures that each daughter cell receives a full set of chromosomes. Cells that do not divide properly or have too few chromosomes cannot function and may lead to cancer.
Cancer cells have a tendency to bypass the cell cycle and proliferate rapidly, causing tumors. Drugs that interfere with the cell cycle can help slow or stop cancer growth. One way to interfere with the cell cycle is by using drugs that target microtubule dynamics. However, microtubule poisons are limited in their effectiveness because cancer cells can become resistant. In addition, they can cause CTCs to aggregate and cluster instead of dispersing into the vasculature.
Microtubules
The microtubule cytoskeleton is a network that gives cells their shape and anchors organelles in place. It’s also a dynamic structure that can change shape when the cell needs to move, contract, or divide. But scientists haven’t fully understood how it works.
Microtubules are polymer filaments that grow and shrink to push or pull cellular components. They’re made of alternating globular proteins, known as a- and b-tubulins, that form long strands called protofilaments. Each end of a microtubule has a characteristic shape that is determined by the rate at which it grows and shrinks. The end that grows fastest is known as the plus end, while the end that shrinks fastest is called the minus end.
Nogales and her colleagues have discovered that Taxol binds to a specific spot on the a-tubulin polymer called the E-site, which is located near the minus end of the microtubule. When GTP hydrolyzes (turns into GDP), it causes a compaction and a rearrangement of the a-tubulin monomer, and this generates strain that rips the microtubule apart.
Cell Cycle
The cell cycle is a highly regulated process that allows cells to divide and multiply without damaging their DNA. However, if DNA replication or cell division goes wrong it can lead to cancer. Cancer cells grow and divide until they outgrow surrounding tissue and then spread to other parts of the body via a process called metastasis.
During the gap 1 (G1) phase, cells grow and stockpile energy reserves and components needed for cell division. During the gap 2 (G2) and synthesis (S) phases, chromosomes duplicate and each sister chromatid contains identical genetic material.
During the mitotic (M) phase, the duplicated chromosomes are separated by a physical separation of the cell cytoplasm called cytokinesis to produce two new daughter cells with identical genetic content. This process is also disrupted in cancer cells, and many chemotherapy agents target this step of the cell cycle.fenbendazole for humans cancer