Albendazole is an organic compound and benzimidazole drug best known for treating parasite issues. It is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic and can be used on both humans and animals for a variety of issues, including tapeworm, nematodes and hydatoses. Albendazole standards can be useful for testing the drug for use or research.
Although albendazole is a popular drug and is used all across the world to treat humans and animals, many people in the chemistry industry may not even be aware of the details behind this chemical compound, which has been listed on the World Health Organization's list of important medications.
Albendazole's discovery
As Stanford University explained, albendazole is far from the first benzimidazole tested, but it proved to be one of the most successful. Smith Kline & French Animal Health marketed the chemical compound for animal use in the late 1970s. But further testing revealed that this drug was not only effective on animals, but superior to many other benzimidazoles available for humans because it metabolized into more anthelminthics and was not toxic.
In the late 1980s, albendazole was approved for human use and has been prescribed around the world. It has continued to be used not only for its effectiveness against intestinal parasites, but also because it is relatively inexpensive and popular internationally.
Usage details
Albendazole's chemical name is C12H15N3O2S and it has a molecular weight of 265.3314. Other commercial names for the chemical compound are Albenza, Eskazole, Valbazen, Zentel, Albendazol, Proftril, Bilutac and Albendazolum, the United States' National Center for Biotechnology Information explained.
Albendazole works as an inhibitor, inducer and substrate, with the human gut absorbing less than 1 percent of the chemical and the rest being released as waste. The primary purpose of the drug is to kill parasites through impairing their intake of glucose in larval and adult stages. Additionally, albendazole sulfoxide becomes albendazole sulfone when metabolized, which can also be effective against parasites, Stanford underscored.
Experimental guidelines
With an experimental melting point between 208 and 210 C, there are a number of uses for albendazole in the lab. The National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a large amount of information on this chemical compound and guidelines for testing and use in a lab setting. For example, the pharmaceutical preparation of albendazole as a tablet requires "liquid chromatography detection at 254 nm and comparison to standards."
Albendazole has already been a beneficial chemical for many people around the world, but there are a number of other experimental uses for the compound that may further improve how it can help humanity.
