An analysis of mitotic catastrophe induced cell responses in melanoma cells exposed to flubendazole

Mitotic catastrophe induced by mictotubule-targeting drugs such as benzimidazole carbamates has been demonstrated to be an efficient mechanism for suppression of tumor cells growth and proliferation, with variable resulting endpoints. The present study was designed to explore some of these endpoints; i.e. the apoptosis as well as autophagy and their related signaling in several stabilized cell lines as well as human explant melanoma cells treated with flubendazole (FLU). FLU-induced mitotic catastrophe resulted in mitochondrial and caspase-dependent apoptosis, which occurred at various rates in all treated cells during 96 h of treatment. The process was characterized by enhanced transcriptional activity of TP53 and NF-κB as well as upregulated Noxa expression. Also, inactivation of Bcl-2, BclXL and Mcl-1 proteins by JNK mediated phosphorylation was observed. Although increased autophagic activity took place in treated cells too, no discernible functional linkage with ongoing cell death process was evidenced. Together these results advance our evidence over the effectiveness of FLU cytotoxicity-related killing of melanoma cells while calling for more extensive testing of melanoma samples as a prerequisite of further preclinical evaluation of FLU antineoplastic potential. •Flubendazole induces G2/M cell cycle arrest of varying duration in melanoma cells.•Flubendazole induced mitotic catastrophe leads to apoptosis and autophagy.•Flubendazole upregulates p53 activity and inactivates Bcl-2, Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 proteins via JNK mediated phosphorylation.•Flubendazole induces apoptosis via upregulation of Noxa.•Flubendazole induced autophagy is not functionally linked to apoptosis.