The oncolytic effect of Newcastle disease virus attenuated AMHA1 strain against digestive system tumors.

Abstract

Background and aim: Malignant diseases are among the most common and deadly illnesses that are often spread due to lifestyle choices. These diseases are caused by unchecked cell growth, which can be curable if detected early. Cancer treatment is dependent on various internal and external factors. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has emerged as a promising virotherapeutic agent due to its oncolytic activity and safety profile. This study investigated the ability of virulent NDV to infect, replicate, and kill digestive tumor cells in esophageal and colorectal cancers.

Materials and methods: NDV was used at several concentrations (multiplicities of infection [MOI]: 1, 3, 5, 10, and 20) on two models of tumor cells: colorectal carcinoma (HRT) and esophageal carcinoma (SK-GT). The investigation focused on the cytotoxic effects of NDV in these cell lines.

Results: The results indicated that SK-GT carcinoma cells (esophageal and colorectal carcinoma) exhibited a high cytotoxic response to NDV, which was directly proportional to the MOI concentration. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration of NDV was 5.736 for the SK-GT cell line and 9.878 for the HRT cell line.

Conclusion: NDV can replicate and kill cancer cells in esophageal and colorectal cancers. We recommend conducting in vivo studies on transplanted digestive system tumors in mouse models to evaluate their anti-tumor activity in vivo, as the present study was limited to in vitro models.