The anthelmintic drug fenben has long been used to treat parasites like Ascaris, hookworm, and nematodes. It is also known to kill Cryptococcus neoformans, the fungus that causes meningitis. It was also recently discovered that fenben may have potent anti-cancer properties in lab experiments. Researchers are repurposing veterinary drugs that show promise for human cancer treatment. Developing new drugs requires time, money and energy, so repurposing a drug already approved for animal use can save these resources.
The Joe Tippens Protocol is an alternative cancer treatment that has been popularized on social media, especially TikTok, where it was first shared in 2019. It involves taking a combination of fenbendazole (FZ), curcumin and CBD. While there is some scientific support for the effectiveness of this treatment, it is important to discuss it with your physician before you attempt it.
Researchers have found that fenbendazole acts against human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells in vitro by disrupting microtubule dynamics and inducing p53-mediated apoptosis. Additionally, it inhibits glucose uptake by blocking GLUT 4 expression, starving the cancer cells of insulin-stimulated sugar absorption.
These effects were further confirmed in vivo by using a rigorous tumor growth assay. Tumor-bearing mice were randomized to receive either three daily i.p. injections of fenbendazole or a similar regimen with placebo. At the end of 12 days, tumors were measured and weighed. The fenbendazole-treated mice had significantly smaller tumors than the control mice.
Fenbendazole is well tolerated by most species and has a high safety margin, making it a good candidate for anti-cancer drugs. The drug is absorbed through the intestinal wall and reaches high concentrations in the blood, where it is cytotoxic against cancer cells.
Moreover, fenbendazole is an attractive candidate for a multi-targeted therapy against cancer, as it affects multiple cellular processes and pathways. This will increase the efficacy of the treatment while avoiding potential resistance mechanisms.
This is important because cancers are very complex organisms with multiple mutations and altered pathways. Single-target drugs often fail to eradicate cancer and may even lead to drug resistance. Similarly, multi-target drugs have the potential to be more effective and to circumvent the development of resistance.
Researchers have evaluated the effect of combining fenbendazole with two other cancer drugs, the microtubule targeting drug taxol and the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose (2DG). Combination of these drugs produced additive effects against NSCLC cells in vitro. Additionally, the combination of fenbendazole and DCA was shown to have synergistic effects in reducing cancer cell proliferation in vivo in a mouse model.
The authors note that while more studies are required to determine the best combination of pharmacological agents for human cancer, the results of this study provide a solid foundation upon which further research can be built. The authors hope that the results of this study will motivate other researchers to further explore the underlying mechanism(s) of fenbendazole anti-cancer activity and to investigate its clinical utility in human patients. fenben for humans