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World J Clin Cases. Aug 26, 2019; 7(16): 2143-2154
Published online Aug 26, 2019. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v7.i16.2143
Application of Newcastle disease virus in the treatment of colorectal cancer
Hui Song, Li-Ping Zhong, Jian He, Yong Huang, Yong-Xiang Zhao
Hui Song, Li-Ping Zhong, Jian He, Yong Huang, Yong-Xiang Zhao, National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Author contributions: Song H, Zhong LP, He J and Huang Y wrote the paper; Zhao YX approved the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflict of interest related to the manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yong-Xiang Zhao, MD, PhD, Professor, National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. yongxiang_zhao@126.com
Telephone: +86-15177120015 Fax: +86-771-5317061
Received: May 18, 2019
Peer-review started: May 18, 2019
First decision: June 11, 2019
Revised: June 21, 2019
Accepted: July 20, 2019
Article in press: July 20, 2019
Published online: August 26, 2019
Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the main reasons of tumor-related deaths worldwide. At present, the main treatment is surgery, but the results are unsatisfactory, and the prognosis is poor. The majority of patients die due to liver or lung metastasis or recurrence. In recent years, great progress has been made in the field of tumor gene therapy, providing a new treatment for combating CRC. As oncolytic viruses selectively replicate almost exclusively in the cytoplasm of tumor cells and do not require integration into the host genome, they are safer, more effective and more attractive as oncolytic agents. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a natural RNA oncolytic virus. After NDV selectively infects tumor cells, the immune response induced by NDV’s envelope protein and intracellular factors can effectively kill the tumor without affecting normal cells. Reverse genetic techniques make NDV a vector for gene therapy. Arming the virus by inserting various exogenous genes or using NDV in combination with immunotherapy can also improve the anti-CRC capacity of NDV, and good results have been achieved in animal models and clinical treatment trials. This article reviews the molecular biological characteristics and oncolytic mechanism of NDV and discusses in vitro and in vivo experiments on NDV anti-CRC capacity and clinical treatment. In conclusion, NDV is an excellent candidate for cancer treatment, but more preclinical studies and clinical trials are needed to ensure its safety and efficacy.

Keywords: Newcastle disease virus, Exogenous gene, Armed virus, Oncolytic therapy, Colorectal cancer

Core tip: At present, the main treatment for colorectal cancer are surgical treatment and chemotherapy, but the majority of patients die due to liver or lung metastasis or recurrence. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find more effective treatment strategies to reduce mortality. Newcastle disease virus can selectively infect tumor cells and can also improve the ability of Newcastle disease virus to resist colorectal cancer by constructing an autologous tumor vaccine. Clinical treatment tests have shown a good therapeutic effect and its potential to become a new treatment for colorectal cancer.