The anthelmintic drug mebendazole inhibits growth, migration and invasion in gastric cancer cell model

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of MBZ on a human malignant ascites cell line derived from a primary gastric cancer tumor. Our data reveal that MBZ showed high cytotoxicity in vitro, displaying an IC50 of 0.39 μM and 1.25 μM in ACP-02 and ACP-03, respectively. The association between MBZ and 5-FU increased slightly the cytotoxicity when compared to MBZ and 5-FU alone. Furthermore, MBZ disrupted the microtubule structure of AGP-01 cells and inhibited significantly the invasion and migration of these cells. Activity of active MMP-2 significantly decreased at all tested concentration of MBZ compared to negative control. These results support the indication of MBZ in combination with chemotherapeutic agents as a possible adjuvant therapy for the management/treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer since MBZ is a drug of low cost with acceptable safety profile and reduced toxicity to normal cells. However, clinical trials must be performed in o to evaluate its efficacy in gastric cancer patients.