Repurposing Albendazole and Mebendazole, an antiparasitic drug in treating colorectal cancer- a review

Abstract

Repurposing drugs may be the answer to overcoming these challenges associated with cancer treatment. Albendazole (ABZ) and Mebendazole (MBZ), which are often used to treat helminthic infections, have demonstrated significant promise as cancer treatments. However, neither their clinical importance nor their obvious mechanism in CRC treatment have been thoroughly examined. To learn more about these mechanisms and their clinical relevance, researchers have looked at the regulation of apoptosis in the human CRC cell lines HCT-15, HCT-116, HT-29, and SW480, selective apoptotic cell death in CRC adenocarcinoma cells in their G2/M phase, and DNA fragmentation mechanism through oxidative damage to CT-DNA by ABZ. The literature highlighting the potential anticancer mechanisms of MBZ, the inhibitory mechanism of tubulin polymer in CRC cell line, the inhibition of angiogenesis in exiting metastatic tumor, and the induction of the immune system via proinflammatory(M1) mediation and DYRK1B kinase modulation are also summarized in this review. To establish clinical relevance and highlight the therapeutic efficacy of ABZ and MBZ, this review also reviews the pertinent literature and clinical trials, in vivo, and in vitro investigations that are currently accessible.