Document Type : Original Articles
Authors
1
Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Bushehr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran.
2
Applied Virology Research Center, Biomedicine Technologies Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
3
Biotechnology Research Center, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.
4
Applied Virology Research Center, Biomedicine Technologeis Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
10.22092/ari.2025.367753.3426
Abstract
Invasive cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Studies have shown that oncolytic viruses (OVs), particularly those with non-human hosts, can have significant anti-cancer effects. However, one of the disadvantages of OVs is their rapid clearance by the immune system. Using a suitable carrier with anti-tumor propensity can be beneficial in the transmission of OVs and increase their effectiveness. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of macrophages (MQs) loaded with Newcastle disease virus (NDV) to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of oncolytic NDV in mouse models of CC. TC1 cells were administered to C57BL/6 mice (Female) in a range of 6 to 8 weeks age (n = 40) to induce tumor growth. After tumor development, four treatment groups of mice were formed. Treatment were performed through NDV, Doxo, and MQs-NDV in three groups of treatment twice in a one-week intervention manner, while the control group treated with PBS. Following the last treatment, half of these mice were subjected to euthanize due to the immune-response assessment, and the other half were followed up till they died naturally in a certain period of time. The findings indicated that mice which received MQs-NDV treatment had a more favourable survival pattern and a slower rate of tumor growth in comparison to the control group of mice with tumors. Additionally, the MQs-NDV treatment resulted in increased production of nitric oxide (NO) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as well as higher levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-12 cytokines, and lower levels of IL-4 and TGF-β cytokines in the splenocytes supernatant. According to the obtained results, it was found that the use of MQs loaded with NDV can improve the efficacy of NDV in a mouse model of CC, suggesting it can be considered as a complementary treatment method in the treatment of CC.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)