DrugBank: Albendazole (DB00518)

targets (3) enzymes (3) transporters (1)

Identification

Name

Albendazole

Accession Number

DB00518 (APRD00782)

Type

small molecule

Groups

approved

Description

A benzimidazole broad-spectrum anthelmintic structurally related to mebendazole that is effective against many diseases. (From Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 30th ed, p38)

Structure

Download: MOL | SDF | SMILES | InChI
Display: 2D Structure | 3D Structure

Synonyms

Not Available

Brand names

Albenza
Eskazole
Valbazen
Zentel

Brand name mixtures

Not Available

Categories

Anthelmintics
Anticestodal Agents
Antiprotozoal Agents
Tubulin Modulators

CAS number

54965-21-8

Weight

Average: 265.331
Monoisotopic: 265.088497429

Chemical Formula

C₁₂H₁₅N₃O₂S

InChI Key

InChIKey=HXHWSAZORRCQMX-UHFFFAOYSA-N

InChI

InChI=1S/C12H15N3O2S/c1-3-6-18-8-4-5-9-10(7-8)14-11(13-9)15-12(16)17-2/h4-5,7H,3,6H2,1-2H3,(H2,13,14,15,16)

Plain Text

IUPAC Name

methyl N-[6-(propylsulfanyl)-1H-1,3-benzodiazol-2-yl]carbamate

SMILES

CCCSC1=CC2=C(C=C1)N=C(NC(=O)OC)N2

Plain Text

Mass Spec

Not Available

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Organic

Classes

Benzimidazoles

Substructures

Ethers
Carbamates and Derivatives
Benzimidazoles
Benzene and Derivatives
Imidazoles
Heterocyclic compounds
Aromatic compounds
Cyanamides

Pharmacology

Indication

For the treatment of parenchymal neurocysticercosis due to active lesions caused by larval forms of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium and for the treatment of cystic hydatid disease of the liver, lung, and peritoneum, caused by the larval form of the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus.

Pharmacodynamics

Albendazole is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic. The principal mode of action for albendazole is by its inhibitory effect on tubulin polymerization which results in the loss of cytoplasmic microtubules.

Mechanism of action

Albendazole causes degenerative alterations in the tegument and intestinal cells of the worm by binding to the colchicine-sensitive site of tubulin, thus inhibiting its polymerization or assembly into microtubules. The loss of the cytoplasmic microtubules leads to impaired uptake of glucose by the larval and adult stages of the susceptible parasites, and depletes their glycogen stores. Degenerative changes in the endoplasmic reticulum, the mitochondria of the germinal layer, and the subsequent release of lysosomes result in decreased production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the energy required for the survival of the helminth. Due to diminished energy production, the parasite is immobilized and eventually dies.

Absorption

Poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract due to its low aqueous solubility. Oral bioavailability appears to be enhanced when coadministered with a fatty meal (estimated fat content 40 g)

Volume of distribution

Not Available

Protein binding

70% bound to plasma protein

Metabolism

Hepatic. Rapidly converted in the liver to the primary metabolite, albendazole sulfoxide, which is further metabolized to albendazole sulfone and other primary oxidative metabolites that have been identified in human urine.

Route of elimination

Albendazole is rapidly converted in the liver to the primary metabolite, albendazole sulfoxide, which is further metabolized to albendazole sulfone and other primary oxidative metabolites that have been identified in human urine. Urinary excretion of albendazole sulfoxide is a minor elimination pathway with less than 1% of the dose recovered in the urine. Biliary elimination presumably accounts for a portion of the elimination as evidenced by biliary concentrations of albendazole sulfoxide similar to those achieved in plasma.

Half life

Terminal elimination half-life ranges from 8 to 12 hours (single dose, 400mg).

Clearance

Not Available

Toxicity

Symptoms of overdose include elevated liver enzymes, headaches, hair loss, low levels of white blood cells (neutropenia), fever, and itching.

Affected organisms

Helminthic Microorganisms

Pathways

Not Available

Pharmacoeconomics

Manufacturers

Glaxosmithkline llc

Packagers

Dosage forms

Form	Route	Strength
Tablet, film coated	Oral

Prices

Unit description	Cost	Unit
Albenza 200 mg tablet	1.91 USD	tablet
Albendazole powder	0.41 USD	g

Patents

Not Available

Properties

State

solid

Melting point

209 oC

Experimental Properties

Property	Value	Source
water solubility	Practically insoluble	PhysProp
logP	2.7	PhysProp

Predicted Properties

Property	Value	Source
water solubility	2.28e-02 g/l	ALOGPS
logP	3.22	ALOGPS
logP	3.20	ChemAxon Molconvert
logS	-4.07	ALOGPS
pKa	13.94	ChemAxon Molconvert
hydrogen acceptor count	3	ChemAxon Molconvert
hydrogen donor count	2	ChemAxon Molconvert
polar surface area	67.01	ChemAxon Molconvert
rotatable bond count	5	ChemAxon Molconvert
refractivity	73.01	ChemAxon Molconvert
polarizability	29.30	ChemAxon Molconvert

References

Synthesis Reference

Not Available

General Reference

Molina AJ, Merino G, Prieto JG, Real R, Mendoza G, Alvarez AI: Absorption and metabolism of albendazole after intestinal ischemia/reperfusion. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2007 May;31(1):16-24. Epub 2007 Feb 6. Pubmed
Oxberry ME, Reynoldson JA, Thompson RC: The binding and distribution of albendazole and its principal metabolites in Giardia duodenalis. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2000 Jun;23(3):113-20. Pubmed
Ramirez T, Benitez-Bribiesca L, Ostrosky-Wegman P, Herrera LA: In vitro effects of albendazole and its metabolites on the cell proliferation kinetics and micronuclei frequency of stimulated human lymphocytes. Arch Med Res. 2001 Mar-Apr;32(2):119-22. Pubmed
Haque A, Hollister WS, Willcox A, Canning EU: The antimicrosporidial activity of albendazole. J Invertebr Pathol. 1993 Sep;62(2):171-7. Pubmed

External Links

Resource	Link
KEGG Drug	D00134
KEGG Compound	C01779
PubChem Compound	2082
PubChem Substance	46506472
ChemSpider	1998
BindingDB	50241293
ChEBI	16664
ChEMBL	16664
Therapeutic Targets Database	DAP000951
PharmGKB	PA448058
HET	ALW
Drug Product Database	1904779
RxList	http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/albendazole.htm
Drugs.com	http://www.drugs.com/cdi/albendazole.html
Wikipedia	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albendazole

ATC Codes

P02CA03

AHFS Codes

Not Available

PDB Entries

Not Available

FDA label

Not Available

MSDS

show (74.4 KB)

Interactions

Drug Interactions

Drug	Interaction

Food Interactions

Not Available

Targets
1. Tubulin alpha-3 chain Pharmacological action: yes Actions: inhibitor Tubulin is the major constituent of microtubules. It binds two moles of GTP, one at an exchangeable site on the beta chain and one at a non-exchangeable site on the alpha-chain Organism class: human UniProt ID: Q71U36 Gene: TUBA1A Protein Sequence: FASTA Gene Sequence: FASTA SNPs: SNPJam Report References: Ramirez T, Benitez-Bribiesca L, Ostrosky-Wegman P, Herrera LA: In vitro effects of albendazole and its metabolites on the cell proliferation kinetics and micronuclei frequency of stimulated human lymphocytes. Arch Med Res. 2001 Mar-Apr;32(2):119-22. Pubmed Chu SW, Badar S, Morris DL, Pourgholami MH: Potent inhibition of tubulin polymerisation and proliferation of paclitaxel-resistant 1A9PTX22 human ovarian cancer cells by albendazole. Anticancer Res. 2009 Oct;29(10):3791-6. Pubmed Berman HM, Westbrook J, Feng Z, Gilliland G, Bhat TN, Weissig H, Shindyalov IN, Bourne PE: The Protein Data Bank. Nucleic Acids Res. 2000 Jan 1;28(1):235-42. Pubmed 2. Tubulin beta-2C chain Pharmacological action: yes Actions: inhibitor Tubulin is the major constituent of microtubules. It binds two moles of GTP, one at an exchangeable site on the beta chain and one at a non-exchangeable site on the alpha-chain Organism class: human UniProt ID: P68371 Gene: TUBB2C Protein Sequence: FASTA Gene Sequence: FASTA SNPs: SNPJam Report References: Solana HD, Sallovitz JM, Lanusse CE, Rodriguez JA: Enantioselective binding of albendazole sulphoxide to cytosolic proteins from helminth parasites. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 2002 Jan-Feb;24(1):7-13. Pubmed Chu SW, Badar S, Morris DL, Pourgholami MH: Potent inhibition of tubulin polymerisation and proliferation of paclitaxel-resistant 1A9PTX22 human ovarian cancer cells by albendazole. Anticancer Res. 2009 Oct;29(10):3791-6. Pubmed Berman HM, Westbrook J, Feng Z, Gilliland G, Bhat TN, Weissig H, Shindyalov IN, Bourne PE: The Protein Data Bank. Nucleic Acids Res. 2000 Jan 1;28(1):235-42. Pubmed 3. Fumarate reductase flavoprotein subunit Pharmacological action: unknown Actions: inhibitor Catalyzes fumarate reduction using artificial electron donors such as methyl viologen. The physiological reductant is unknown, but evidence indicates that flavocytochrome c participates in electron transfer from formate to fumarate and possibly also to trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). This enzyme is essentially unidirectional Organism class: bacterial UniProt ID: P83223 Gene: SO_0970 Protein Sequence: FASTA Gene Sequence: FASTA SNPs: SNPJam Report References: Barrowman MM, Marriner SE, Bogan JA: The fumarate reductase system as a site of anthelmintic attack in Ascaris suum. Biosci Rep. 1984 Oct;4(10):879-83. Pubmed

Targets

1. Tubulin alpha-3 chain

Pharmacological action: yes
Actions: inhibitor

Tubulin is the major constituent of microtubules. It binds two moles of GTP, one at an exchangeable site on the beta chain and one at a non-exchangeable site on the alpha-chain

Organism class: human
UniProt ID: Q71U36 Link_out

Gene: TUBA1A Link_out

Protein Sequence: FASTA
Gene Sequence: FASTA
SNPs: SNPJam Report Link_out

References:

Ramirez T, Benitez-Bribiesca L, Ostrosky-Wegman P, Herrera LA: In vitro effects of albendazole and its metabolites on the cell proliferation kinetics and micronuclei frequency of stimulated human lymphocytes. Arch Med Res. 2001 Mar-Apr;32(2):119-22. Pubmed
Chu SW, Badar S, Morris DL, Pourgholami MH: Potent inhibition of tubulin polymerisation and proliferation of paclitaxel-resistant 1A9PTX22 human ovarian cancer cells by albendazole. Anticancer Res. 2009 Oct;29(10):3791-6. Pubmed
Berman HM, Westbrook J, Feng Z, Gilliland G, Bhat TN, Weissig H, Shindyalov IN, Bourne PE: The Protein Data Bank. Nucleic Acids Res. 2000 Jan 1;28(1):235-42. Pubmed

2. Tubulin beta-2C chain

Pharmacological action: yes
Actions: inhibitor

Tubulin is the major constituent of microtubules. It binds two moles of GTP, one at an exchangeable site on the beta chain and one at a non-exchangeable site on the alpha-chain

Organism class: human
UniProt ID: P68371 Link_out

Gene: TUBB2C Link_out

Protein Sequence: FASTA
Gene Sequence: FASTA
SNPs: SNPJam Report Link_out

References:

Solana HD, Sallovitz JM, Lanusse CE, Rodriguez JA: Enantioselective binding of albendazole sulphoxide to cytosolic proteins from helminth parasites. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 2002 Jan-Feb;24(1):7-13. Pubmed
Chu SW, Badar S, Morris DL, Pourgholami MH: Potent inhibition of tubulin polymerisation and proliferation of paclitaxel-resistant 1A9PTX22 human ovarian cancer cells by albendazole. Anticancer Res. 2009 Oct;29(10):3791-6. Pubmed
Berman HM, Westbrook J, Feng Z, Gilliland G, Bhat TN, Weissig H, Shindyalov IN, Bourne PE: The Protein Data Bank. Nucleic Acids Res. 2000 Jan 1;28(1):235-42. Pubmed

3. Fumarate reductase flavoprotein subunit

Pharmacological action: unknown
Actions: inhibitor

Catalyzes fumarate reduction using artificial electron donors such as methyl viologen. The physiological reductant is unknown, but evidence indicates that flavocytochrome c participates in electron transfer from formate to fumarate and possibly also to trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). This enzyme is essentially unidirectional

Organism class: bacterial
UniProt ID: P83223 Link_out

Gene: SO_0970
Protein Sequence: FASTA
Gene Sequence: FASTA
SNPs: SNPJam Report Link_out

References:

Barrowman MM, Marriner SE, Bogan JA: The fumarate reductase system as a site of anthelmintic attack in Ascaris suum. Biosci Rep. 1984 Oct;4(10):879-83. Pubmed

Enzymes
1. Cytochrome P450 3A4 Actions: substrate Cytochromes P450 are a group of heme-thiolate monooxygenases. In liver microsomes, this enzyme is involved in an NADPH-dependent electron transport pathway. It performs a variety of oxidation reactions (e.g. caffeine 8-oxidation, omeprazole sulphoxidation, midazolam 1'-hydroxylation and midazolam 4- hydroxylation) of structurally unrelated compounds, including steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics. The enzyme also hydroxylates etoposide UniProt ID: P08684 Gene: CYP3A4 Protein Sequence: FASTA Gene Sequence: FASTA SNPs: SNPJam Report References: Preissner S, Kroll K, Dunkel M, Senger C, Goldsobel G, Kuzman D, Guenther S, Winnenburg R, Schroeder M, Preissner R: SuperCYP: a comprehensive database on Cytochrome P450 enzymes including a tool for analysis of CYP-drug interactions. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010 Jan;38(Database issue):D237-43. Epub 2009 Nov 24. Pubmed 2. Cytochrome P450 1A1 Actions: inducer Cytochromes P450 are a group of heme-thiolate monooxygenases. In liver microsomes, this enzyme is involved in an NADPH-dependent electron transport pathway. It oxidizes a variety of structurally unrelated compounds, including steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics UniProt ID: P04798 Gene: CYP1A1 Protein Sequence: FASTA Gene Sequence: FASTA SNPs: SNPJam Report References: Preissner S, Kroll K, Dunkel M, Senger C, Goldsobel G, Kuzman D, Guenther S, Winnenburg R, Schroeder M, Preissner R: SuperCYP: a comprehensive database on Cytochrome P450 enzymes including a tool for analysis of CYP-drug interactions. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010 Jan;38(Database issue):D237-43. Epub 2009 Nov 24. Pubmed 3. Cytochrome P450 1A2 Actions: substrate, inhibitor, inducer Cytochromes P450 are a group of heme-thiolate monooxygenases. In liver microsomes, this enzyme is involved in an NADPH-dependent electron transport pathway. It oxidizes a variety of structurally unrelated compounds, including steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics. Most active in catalyzing 2-hydroxylation. Caffeine is metabolized primarily by cytochrome CYP1A2 in the liver through an initial N3-demethylation. Also acts in the metabolism of aflatoxin B1 and acetaminophen UniProt ID: P05177 Gene: CYP1A2 Protein Sequence: FASTA Gene Sequence: FASTA SNPs: SNPJam Report References: Preissner S, Kroll K, Dunkel M, Senger C, Goldsobel G, Kuzman D, Guenther S, Winnenburg R, Schroeder M, Preissner R: SuperCYP: a comprehensive database on Cytochrome P450 enzymes including a tool for analysis of CYP-drug interactions. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010 Jan;38(Database issue):D237-43. Epub 2009 Nov 24. Pubmed

Enzymes

1. Cytochrome P450 3A4

Actions: substrate

Cytochromes P450 are a group of heme-thiolate monooxygenases. In liver microsomes, this enzyme is involved in an NADPH-dependent electron transport pathway. It performs a variety of oxidation reactions (e.g. caffeine 8-oxidation, omeprazole sulphoxidation, midazolam 1'-hydroxylation and midazolam 4- hydroxylation) of structurally unrelated compounds, including steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics. The enzyme also hydroxylates etoposide

UniProt ID: P08684 Link_out

Gene: CYP3A4
Protein Sequence: FASTA
Gene Sequence: FASTA
SNPs: SNPJam Report Link_out

References:

Preissner S, Kroll K, Dunkel M, Senger C, Goldsobel G, Kuzman D, Guenther S, Winnenburg R, Schroeder M, Preissner R: SuperCYP: a comprehensive database on Cytochrome P450 enzymes including a tool for analysis of CYP-drug interactions. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010 Jan;38(Database issue):D237-43. Epub 2009 Nov 24. Pubmed

2. Cytochrome P450 1A1

Actions: inducer

UniProt ID: P04798 Link_out

Gene: CYP1A1 Link_out

Protein Sequence: FASTA
Gene Sequence: FASTA
SNPs: SNPJam Report Link_out

References:

Preissner S, Kroll K, Dunkel M, Senger C, Goldsobel G, Kuzman D, Guenther S, Winnenburg R, Schroeder M, Preissner R: SuperCYP: a comprehensive database on Cytochrome P450 enzymes including a tool for analysis of CYP-drug interactions. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010 Jan;38(Database issue):D237-43. Epub 2009 Nov 24. Pubmed

3. Cytochrome P450 1A2

Actions: substrate, inhibitor, inducer

Cytochromes P450 are a group of heme-thiolate monooxygenases. In liver microsomes, this enzyme is involved in an NADPH-dependent electron transport pathway. It oxidizes a variety of structurally unrelated compounds, including steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics. Most active in catalyzing 2-hydroxylation. Caffeine is metabolized primarily by cytochrome CYP1A2 in the liver through an initial N3-demethylation. Also acts in the metabolism of aflatoxin B1 and acetaminophen

UniProt ID: P05177 Link_out

Gene: CYP1A2
Protein Sequence: FASTA
Gene Sequence: FASTA
SNPs: SNPJam Report Link_out

References:

Preissner S, Kroll K, Dunkel M, Senger C, Goldsobel G, Kuzman D, Guenther S, Winnenburg R, Schroeder M, Preissner R: SuperCYP: a comprehensive database on Cytochrome P450 enzymes including a tool for analysis of CYP-drug interactions. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010 Jan;38(Database issue):D237-43. Epub 2009 Nov 24. Pubmed

Transporters
1. Multidrug resistance protein 1 Actions: inhibitor Energy-dependent efflux pump responsible for decreased drug accumulation in multidrug-resistant cells UniProt ID: P08183 Gene: ABCB1 Protein Sequence: FASTA Gene Sequence: FASTA SNPs: SNPJam Report References: Merino G, Alvarez AI, Prieto JG, Kim RB: The anthelminthic agent albendazole does not interact with p-glycoprotein. Drug Metab Dispos. 2002 Apr;30(4):365-9. Pubmed

Transporters

1. Multidrug resistance protein 1

Actions: inhibitor

Energy-dependent efflux pump responsible for decreased drug accumulation in multidrug-resistant cells

UniProt ID: P08183 Link_out

Gene: ABCB1 Link_out

Protein Sequence: FASTA
Gene Sequence: FASTA
SNPs: SNPJam Report Link_out

References:

Merino G, Alvarez AI, Prieto JG, Kim RB: The anthelminthic agent albendazole does not interact with p-glycoprotein. Drug Metab Dispos. 2002 Apr;30(4):365-9. Pubmed

Comments

Drug created on June 13, 2005 07:24 / Updated on November 10, 2010 13:40

This project is supported by Genome Alberta & Genome Canada, a not-for-profit organization that is leading Canada's national genomics strategy with $600 million in funding from the federal government. This project is also supported in part by GenomeQuest, Inc., an enterprise genomic information company serving the life science community.