Human Reoviruses Serotype 3 Effectively Target Huh-7 Cells

Huh-7 is a cell line that was derived from a liver tumor of a Japanese man. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered as a primary liver cancer. Highly resistant tumor to treatment which causes the death of many patients annually. Thus, targeting the cancer cells by using a new method could be effective in therapy of this cancer. Reoviruses are oncolytic viruses that can infect and kill tumor cells, which have an activated Ras signaling pathways, while normal cells are resistant to infection and replication of these viruses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oncolytic human reovirus on Huh 7 cell line in vitro.

Human reovirus serotype 3, Huh-7 cell line, and normal human fibroblasts were used in this study. After virus purification and plaque assay, human reoviruses were inoculated into the Huh-7 cells and human normal fibroblasts as negative control. Virus cytopathic effect, cell viability, and viral RNA replication were assessed at the different time of post-infection.

Virus cytopathic effects and cell lysis were clearly observed and reovirus RNA replication was detected in the Huh-7 cells, whereas normal human fibroblasts were resistant against reovirus infection.

The result of the present study showed that human reoviruses serotype 3 can destroy the Huh-7 cells. Accordingly, the use of human reovirus could be considered as a potential therapy for HCC and liver cancer.