Flubendazole

Flubendazole is a benzimidazole carbamate anthelmintic agent. It eliminates larvae in a mouse model of A. cantonensis infection and exhibits a mean larval reduction of 100% in a T. spiralis infection model when administered at doses of 5 and 50 mg/kg per day, respectively. It disrupts tubulin polymerization by showing preference for binding to nematode tubulin rather than the tubulin in host. Flubendazole inhibits mammalian tubulin polymerization with an IC₅₀ of 2.5 µM. The microtubule-disrupting properties of benzimidazoles cause potential anti-cancer activity. The IC₅₀ values for inhibition of proliferation of MDA-MB-231, BT-549, MCF-7 and SK-BR-3 cells are 1.75 μM, 0.72 μM, 5.51 μM and 1.51 μM, respectively.