In vitro and in vivo antitumor activities of oHSV-BJ-2 oncolytic virus

Objective: To construct an oncolytic herpes simplex virus oHSV-BJ-2 and to evaluate its safety and antitumor efficacy. Methods: Using the HSV-1 wild-type KOS strain as the backbone, we constructed an oncolytic herpes simplex virus, oHSV-BJ-2. The CCK-8 method was used to detect the killing effect of the virus on eight tumor cell lines, and the in vivo tumor inhibitory effect of the virus was evaluated in the BALB/c nude mouse subcutaneous transplant tumor model (PANC-1, SW1990). Results: oHSV-BJ-2 showed a significant killing effect on seven tumor cell lines in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In the PANC-1 and SW1990 pancreatic cancer xenograft tumor models, intratumoral injection of oHSV-BJ-2 could significantly inhibit tumor growth, with the tumor inhibition rate reaching 70%-80% in the medium and high-dose groups, without a significant impact on the body weight of the mice. Conclusions: oHSV-BJ-2 has good safety and significant antitumor activity, and could be explored as a new drug candidate for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and other malignant tumors.