Fig. 9

Inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and progression by RT-induced exosome in HCC xenograft model. Increased tumor growth in HCC xenograft model by normal- and RT-induced exosome injection (N = 5) (A-C). Representative images at day 18 post-transplantation of a subcutaneous xenograft nude mouse model injected with normal- and RT-induced exosomes Scale bar, 10 mm (A). In the HCC subcutaneous xenograft model, normal- and RT-induced exosomes were injected thrice every three days from the third day after tumor transplantation, and the size of the tumors of each group was measured every three days (B). After the mice were sacrificed on the 18th day, the tumor was separated and the weight of the tumors of each group was measured and plotted (C). data are shown as means ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001 vs. control by Student’s t test; #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01, and ###P < 0.001 vs. normal EXO by Student’s t test. After the mice were sacrificed on the 18th day, tumors were isolated and angiogenesis around the tumors was photographed. Scale bar, 10 mm (D). The tumor vascular branching points of each mouse were counted and measured (E). Hemoglobin content (mg/g) was normalized by the weight of each tumor (F). data are shown as means ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. control by Student’s t test; #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01, and ###P < 0.001 vs. normal EXO by Student’s t test. Xenograft tumor tissues were embedded in paraffin blocks, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and endothelium marker CD31 (PECAM1). CD31 + vessels were indicated by black arrows (G). Scale bar, 100 μm. CD31 + vessels within the tumors of each group were measured and quantified (H). The expression of p53 and Maspin in tumor tissue was expressed by Western blot and relative quantification was shown by graph (I, J). Data are shown as mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. Normal EXO by Student’s t-test