Investigation of benzimidazole anthelmintics as oral anticancer agents

Discovery of benzimidazole-2-amide BNZ-111 as new tubulin inhibitor

Methyl benzimidazole-2-carbamate anthelmintics are a class of oral drugs to treat parasitic worm infections via microtubule disruption for non-systemic indications and currently in use. In order to use for anticancer treatment, the new benzimidazoles needs to improve solubility and pharmacokinetic parameters while maintaining its cellular potency as for systemic drug. Structure-activity-relationship on the benzimidazole is thoroughly examined and a novel benzimidazole-2 propionamide BNZ-111 is identified having good oral exposure and bioavailability in rat. Molecular docking study suggests BNZ-111 have a specific binding mode to the β subunit of curved tubulin. BNZ-111 is potent to cancer cells and possesses good drug-like properties as oral drug. Especially, BNZ-111 is not a P-gp substrate and it demonstrates its efficacy over Paclitaxel-resistance tumor in vivo.

Anti-cancer effects of benzimidazole derivative BNZ-111 on paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE

Ovarian cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, remains a formidable challenge, especially in the context of platinum-resistant disease. This study investigated the potential of the benzimidazole derivative BNZ-111 as a novel treatment strategy for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

METHODS

The human EOC cell lines A2780, HeyA8, SKOV3ip1, A2780-CP20, HeyA8-MDR, and SKOV3-TR were treated with BNZ-111, and cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle were assessed.

RESULTS

It demonstrated strong cytotoxicity in both chemo-sensitive and chemo-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines, inducing apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. In vivo experiments using orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft models showed significant tumor growth inhibition without apparent toxicity to vital organs. Unlike paclitaxel, BNZ-111 proved effective in paclitaxel-resistant cells, potentially by bypassing interaction with MDR1 and modulating β-3 tubulin expression to suppress microtubule dynamics.

CONCLUSION

BNZ-111, with favorable drug-like properties, holds promise as a therapeutic option for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, addressing a critical clinical need in gynecologic oncology.

Recent Advances in Synthetic Routes to Azacycles

A heterocycle is an important structural scaffold of many organic compounds found in pharmaceuticals, materials, agrochemicals, and biological processes. Azacycles are one of the most common motifs of a heterocycle and have a variety of applications, including in pharmaceuticals. Therefore, azacycles have received significant attention from scientists and a variety of methods of synthesizing azacycles have been developed because their efficient synthesis plays a vital role in the production of many useful compounds. In this review, we summarize recent approaches to preparing azacycles via different methods as well as describe plausible reaction mechanisms.

Exceptional Repositioning of Dog Dewormer: Fenbendazole Fever

Fenbendazole (FZ) is a benzimidazole carbamate drug with broad-spectrum antiparasitic activity in humans and animals. The mechanism of action of FZ is associated with microtubular polymerization inhibition and glucose uptake blockade resulting in reduced glycogen stores and decreased ATP formation in the adult stages of susceptible parasites. A completely cured case of lung cancer became known globally and greatly influenced the cancer community in South Korea. Desperate Korean patients with cancer began self-administering FZ without their physician’s knowledge, which interfered with the outcome of the cancer treatment planned by their oncologists. On the basis of presented evidence, this review provides valuable information from PubMed, Naver, Google Scholar, and Social Network Services (SNS) on the effects of FZ in a broad range of preclinical studies on cancer. In addition, we suggest investigating the self-administration of products, including supplements, herbs, or bioactive compounds, by patients to circumvent waiting for long and costly FZ clinical trials.

Untargeted metabolomics-assisted comparative cytochrome P450-dependent metabolism of fenbendazole in human and dog liver microsomes

Fenbendazole (FBZ), a benzimidazole carbamate anthelmintic, has attracted attention for its antitumor activity. This study examined the metabolic characteristics of FBZ in humans compared with those in dogs. The phase I metabolites were identified in liver microsomal incubates using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS)-based untargeted metabolomics approaches. Seven metabolites of FBZ were identified by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis based on the global ion variables of the FBZ incubation groups. The chemical structure of the FBZ metabolites was suggested by examining the MS/MS spectrum and isotope distribution pattern. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1, CYP2D6, and CYP2J2 were the major isozymes responsible for the FBZ metabolism. No differences in the types of metabolites produced by the two species were noted. Multivariate analysis of human and dog incubation groups showed that five metabolites were relatively abundant in humans and the other two were not. In summary, the phase I metabolic profile of FBZ and the comparative metabolism between humans and dogs were examined using an untargeted metabolomics approach. This study suggests a successful investigation of FBZ metabolism in humans for conducting safety assessments regarding drug repositioning.