Virotherapy of digestive tumors with rodent parvovirus: overview and perspectives

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Virology
• Immunology

Background:

• Toolan's H-1 parvovirus (H-1PV) exhibits cytotoxic and oncolytic effects, primarily through its non-structural protein (NS1).
• Unlike other parvoviruses, H-1PV is non-pathogenic to living organisms, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic agent.
• The oncolytic action of H-1PV has been observed in a wide range of digestive and non-digestive cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the mechanisms by which H-1PV induces tumor cell death.
• To analyze the efficacy of H-1PV in both non-digestive and digestive cancers.
• To explore the potential of H-1PV as an adjunct to conventional cancer chemotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Review of parvovirus genus and biology.
• Summarization of proposed mechanisms for H-1PV-induced cytotoxicity.
• Analysis of studies on H-1PV in non-digestive (e.g., glioma) and digestive cancers.

Main Results:

• H-1PV-mediated oncolysis involves dysregulation of cell transcription, cell-cycle arrest, and induction of cell death.
• Viral oncolysis triggers a robust tumor-specific immune response, aiding in the elimination of residual disease.
• H-1PV demonstrates efficacy in non-digestive cancers, including glioma, due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Conclusions:

• H-1PV exhibits minimal toxicity to living bodies.
• The parvovirus is a promising candidate for treating melanoma, glioma, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
• H-1PV can be effectively used in conjunction with conventional chemotherapy.