Albendazole is a member of the benzimidazoles - the 6+5 membered ring system at the heart of the molecule. The benzimidazole class of drugs is used to treat many parasitic worm infections. They work by impairing microtubule function.
The benzimidazoles are gratifyingly simple-looking drugs. Contrast Taxol, a much woolier-looking drug that operates on microtubules (in another way, which we'll cover another day; furthermore, that one works on cancer, not worms).
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OK this post was a warm up for today.
Microtubules are long hollow polymers. They are also polar. Their minus ends are inert and are found towards the cell center while their plus ends grow and shrink and are found towards the cell periphery.
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