• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.72.1-72.10
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• 2020

Background: Fenbendazole, a dewormer drug, is used widely in the clinical treatment of parasite infections in animals. Recent studies have shown that fenbendazole has substantial effects on tumor growth, immune responses, and inflammatory responses, suggesting that fenbendazole is a pluripotent drug. Nevertheless, the antiviral effects have not been reported. Fenbendazole can disrupt microtubules, which are essential for multiple viruses infections, suggesting that fenbendazole might have antiviral effects. Objectives: This study examined whether fenbendazole could inhibit bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) productive infection in cell cultures. Methods: The effects of fenbendazole on viral production, transcription of the immediate early (IE) genes, viron-associated protein expression, and the cellular signaling PLC-γ1/Akt pathway were assessed using distinct methods. Results: Fenbendazole could inhibit BoHV-1 productive infections significantly in MDBK cells in a dose-dependent manner. A time-of-addition assay indicated that fenbendazole affected both the early and late stages in the virus replication cycles. The transcription of IE genes, including BoHV-1 infected cell protein 0 (bICP0), bICP4, and bICP22, as well as the synthesis of viron-associated proteins, were disrupted differentially by the fenbendazole treatment. The treatment did not affect the cellular signaling pathway of PLC-γ1/Akt, a known cascade playing important roles in virus infection. Conclusions: Overall, fenbendazole has antiviral effects on BoHV-1 replication.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.197-205
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• 2010

The ecotoxicological effects of two antibiotics, fenbendazole and lincomycin, were observed in the harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus japonicus s.l. collected from tidal pools in the southern coast of Korea. Fenbendazole had a significant effect on the survival rates (p < 0.05), delay of copepodite emergence, and urosome size (p < 0.05). Lincomycin, on the other hand, had no significant influence on these environmental indicators. However, our analysis of morphological abnormalities in T. japonicus s.l. showed that lincomycin was more effective than fenbendazole in causing deformities. The pattern of deformity was diverse, with fused segments, and loss or addition of setae in the swimming legs. All of these patterns appeared as a result of relatively low concentrations of this antibiotic (0.3, $1\;{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$). We report here patterns of morphological abnormality in T. japonicus s.l. exposed to antibiotics, and suggest their possible application in ecotoxicological monitoring.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.377-387
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• 2022

Benzimidazole anthelmintic agents have been recently repurposed to overcome cancers resistant to conventional therapies. To evaluate the anti-cancer effects of benzimidazole on resistant cells, various cell death pathways were investigated in 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer cells. The viability of wild-type and 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 colorectal cancer cells was assayed, followed by Western blotting. Flow cytometry assays for cell death and cell cycle was also performed to analyze the anti-cancer effects of benzimidazole. When compared with albendazole, fenbendazole showed higher susceptibility to 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 cells and was used in subsequent experiments. Flow cytometry revealed that fenbendazole significantly induces apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase on both cells. When compared with wild-type SNU-C5 cells, 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 cells showed reduced autophagy, increased ferroptosis and ferroptosis-augmented apoptosis, and less activation of caspase-8 and p53. These results suggest that fenbendazole may be a potential alternative treatment in 5-fluorouracil-resistant cancer cells, and the anticancer activity of fenbendazole does not require p53 in 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 cells.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.311-320
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• 2009

The short term (24-hr) and long term (21 days) effects of copper, cadmium, fenbendazole and sulfathiazole on the survival of the Korean fairy shrimp Branchinella kugenumaensis were evaluated. The 24-hr median lethal concentrations ($LC_{50}$) of copper, cadmium, fenbendazole, and sulfathiazole were 39, 512, 182, and 31,818 ${\mu}g/L$, respectively. The toxicity of copper is highest among 4 chemicals used in this study, while sulfathazole the lowest. After the long term (21 days) exposure experiment, the $LC_{50}$ copper, cadmium, fenbendazole, and sulfathiazole were 1.12, 2.1, 0.1, 6.6 ${\mu}g/L$, respectively. The long term effects of antibiotics were highly enhanced while the short-term effects were not strong. The sensitivities of B. kugenumaensis to copper and cadmium were higher than or comparable to those of other freshwater branchiopods (Streptocephalus spp., Thamnocephalus sp.), and far higher than the marine species (Artemia sp.). There were significant effects on the survival of B. kugenumaensis after long term exposure to relatively lower concentrations of copper, cadmium, fenbendazole and sulfathiazole. Therefore, B. kugenumaensis seems quite a good candidate species for the ecotoxicological assessments of freshwater environments.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 2005

Current treatments for canine Giardia infections include albendazole, fenbendazole and metronidazole in the most cases. To compare efficacy of these antimicrobial drugs for treating naturally infected giardiasis in dogs, we used the zinc sulfate concentration technique(ZSCT) to figure out naturally infected with Giardia. In this study, feces were collected from 150 asymptomatic dogs at a kennel, 28 asymptomatic Giardia infected dogs were used by the allocated four group to receive albendazole(group A, 25 mg/kg, PO, bid, 7 days), fenbendazole(group F, 50 mg/kg, PO, sid, 7 days), metronidazole (group M, 50 mg/kg, PO, sid, 7 days), nontreated control(group NC) respectively. Fecal samples from each dog were examined for Giardia cysts within 3 days of the last treatment. Giardia cysts were not detected in the feces of any dog in group F. Cysts were detected in the feces 1 of 7 dogs in group A or in the feces 2 of 7 dogs in group M. In the group NC, cysts were detected in the feces of 7 of 7 dogs. Finally, there was significant difference for efficacy between antimicrobial drugs against Giardia in dogs. Fenbendazo1e is the most efficacy to have giardiacidal activity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.515-520
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• 2010

This research investigated benzimidazole residues (albendazole, fenbendazole, flubendazole, thiabendazole, oxibendazole) in livestock products. A total of 270 samples of livestock products (beef, pork and chicken) were purchased from local markets in Korea. Ethyl acetate was used to extract analytes from the sample, after which ethyl acetate extracts were purified using a MCX cartridge. Analytes were detected using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The limit of detection was 0.01-0.04 ppb, the limit of quantification was 0.03-0.13 ppb, the linearity ($r^2$) was 0.9992-1.0000, and the recovery was 70-85%. Residues of benzimidazoles, except for fenbendazole in pork, were not found in any of the 270 livestock samples. Fenbendazole was detected in the range of 1.2 to 3.1 ppb in 12 samples of pork.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.79-83
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• 2020

Fenbendazole (FBZ) is a benzimidazole anthelmintic that has been widely used in treatments for gastrointestinal parasites including pinworms and roundworms in animals. Recently, some studies demonstrated that FBZ has anti-cancer effects related to disruption of microtubule polymerization. In this study, we investigated whether FBZ has anti-cancer activity in HL-60 cells, a human leukemia cell line, and assessed its relationship with the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). FBZ treatment at 0.25-1 μM significantly decreased the metabolic activity of HL-60 cells. The mitochondrial membrane potential of FBZ-treated HL-60 cells decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. Apoptosis analysis using annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining demonstrated that 1 μM FBZ increased the percentages of cells in apoptosis and necrosis. In addition, Hoechst 33342 staining showed the presence of broken nuclei in HL-60 cells treated with 0.5 and 1 μM FBZ. To investigate the anti-cancer mechanism of FBZ, HL-60 cells were treated with FBZ in the absence or presence of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an inhibitor of ROS production. NAC significantly recovered the decreased metabolic activity of HL-60 induced by 0.5 and 1 μM FBZ treatments. This study provides evidence that FBZ has anti-cancer activity in HL-60 cells provided, in part, via ROS production.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.22.1-22.7
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• 2021

Fenbendazole (FBZ) is a commonly used anthelmintics in veterinary medicine that has recently been found to have anticancer effects in humans. On the other hand, few studies have examined the anti-inflammatory effects of FBZ, and its mechanism is unknown. In this study, mouse bone marrow cells (BMs) were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a representative inflammation-inducing substance, to generate a situation similar to osteomyelitis in vitro. The effect of FBZ on inflammatory BMs was examined by measuring the metabolic activity, surface marker expression, cell nuclear morphology, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of BMs. FBZ decreased the metabolic activity and MMP of LPS-treated BMs. Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide staining and Hoechst 33342 staining showed that FBZ reduced the number of viable cells and induced the cell death of inflammatory BMs. In addition, FBZ reduced the proportion of granulocytes more than B lymphocytes in LPS-treated BMs. Overall, FBZ induces cell death by destabilizing the MMP of LPS-induced inflammatory BMs. In addition to anthelmintic and anticancer agent, FBZ can play a role as an anti-inflammatory agent.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.212-214
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• 2015

Encephalitoozoon cuniculi is an obligate intracellular microsporidian parasite commonly found in rabbits, causing encephalitozoonosis. This organism can also infect a wide range of hosts including humans, which is known to cause opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals. In this case, four rabbits presented with head tilt and nystagmus were diagnosed for E. cuniculi infection using ELISA. The rabbits were treated with fenbendazole for 4 weeks and therapeutic success was evaluated by assessing the neurological symptoms. Three out of 4 rabbits showed improved health condition 3 to 5 days after treatment, but one rabbit showed persistent anorexia and head tilt after treatment and then died after 10 days. This report is the first to investigate the therapeutic response of fenbendazole for rabbit encephalitozoonosis in Korea, and suggests that pet rabbits may serve as potential E. cuniculi reservoirs for both pet animals and humans.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.572-578
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• 2010

The extraction/clean-up and concentrating of pharmaceuticals from surface water were performed by HLB (Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balanced) cartridge. The method allows for the simultaneous determination of six pharmaceuticals by HPLC/ESI(+)-MS/MS. Recoveries of the pharmaceutical were between 71.1 to 92.6% (except fenbendazole) and the overall variability of the method was below 11.2% (RSD). The calibration curves for the pharmaceuticals from blank surface water showed good linearities (above $r^2$ = 0.99) in the concentration range of 0.007~1.2 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 7.2~128.7 pg/mL and 23.8~429.1 pg/mL, respectively. The present analytical method can be useful for monitoring residual pharmaceuticals in surface water and other aquatic samples. High concentrations of iopromide and fenbendazole were detected in a few samples of surface water.