Oncolytic potential of fish rhabdovirus

Aim. The goal of the work was to study the effect of fish rhabdovirus (Spring viraemia of carp virus — SVCV) on cultured human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells. This virus is not pathogenic for humans and accumulates in large quantities in vitro, so it is of considerable interest to investigate the possibility of its use as an oncolytic agent. Methods. For cultivation of fish rhabdovsrus (SVCV) the susceptible fish cell line EPC were used in culture assay. The virus was purified from tissue culture supernatant by the method of ultracentrifugation. Human cervical carcinoma cells of the HeLa line (ECACC catalog no.93021013) were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium (Sigma, USA). Determination of the cytotoxic/cytostatic effect on cells exposed to SVCV was carried out using the MTT test. To determine the distribution of cells by cycle phases under the influence of SVCV and in control cell samples, the method of flow cytofluorimetry was used. Results. In this work, it is shown for the first time that a fish rhabdovirus significantly inhibits the growth of HeLa cells derived from human cervical carcinoma and causes the appearance of apoptotic bodies in them. Determination of the cytotoxic/cytostatic effect of SVCV, carried out in successively decreasing dilutions of the culture medium, showed that it significantly inhibits the growth of HeLa cells compared to the control at dilutions of 1:2, 1:4 and 1:8. Conclusions. As the results of our research, it was shown fish rhabdovirus (SVCV) could be included in the extensive list of oncolytic rhabdoviruses. It significantly inhibits the growth of HeLa cells derived from human cervical carcinoma and causes the appearance of apoptotic bodies in them. Further, in vivo studies are needed for a comprehensive evaluation of its oncolytic properties.