The fenbendazole drug is commonly prescribed to treat and prevent multiple intestinal parasites in dogs, such as roundworms (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina), hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala) and whipworms (Trichuris vulpis). It is also often employed off-label to protect against lungworms in dogs, including Giardia, and to help reduce high worm burdens that are known to cause diarrhea.
The mechanism of action of fenbendazole in parasites is primarily due to its binding to and disrupting the tubulin microtubule equilibrium, which is an important part of the cell’s cellular machinery that controls movement of organelles. This inhibition of polymerization results in a disruption of the microtubules that are essential for parasite growth and motility.
Fenbendazole is a safe broad spectrum benzimidazole with wide anthelmintic activity and can be administered under veterinary supervision to sheep, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, fish, most reptiles, freshwater shrimp tanks as planaria and hydra treatments and seals. In addition to its use in the gastrointestinal tract, fenbendazole has also been shown to be an effective treatment for parasites affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular systems of animals.
In the experiments depicted in Figure 3, three daily fenbendazole injections of 50 mg/kg/day, i.p. were administered to tumor-bearing BALB/cRw mice. These mice were then either left as untreated controls, or given local tumor irradiation. The appearance and behavior of the mice, as well as the time to four-fold tumor volume, was monitored throughout each experiment. No significant differences in the number of tumor metastases or weights were observed between irradiated and non-irradiated mice. fenbendazole capsules