Figure 6.
Effects of 22-(4′-py)-JA on metastasis in vivo. (A) Timeline overview of the in vivo metastasis experiment. The tail veins of female BALB/C nude mice were intravenously injected with A549 cells (5 × 106 cells), followed by the intraperitoneal injection of either 22-(4′-py)-JA or a vehicle (5% DMSO in PBS) the next day (twice a week), or erlotinib administered orally (once per week). After 6 weeks, the lungs and blood were collected for biochemical analyses. (B) Body weights of the mice throughout the experiment showed no significant differences. (C) Serum profiles of AST and ALT at the end of the experiment were found to be within the normal ranges. (D) The number of metastatic nodules was significantly decreased in the 22-(4′-py)-JA and erlotinib groups compared to those in the vehicle control group. Data are presented as a percentage of mean ± SEM (n = 6). *p < 0.05 vs the vehicle group. (E) Macroscopic images showing the reduction of lung nodules in the 22-(4′-py)-JA and erlotinib groups compared to those in the vehicle control group. (F) Hematoxylin and eosin staining demonstrated a high density of metastatic tumor cells in the lung tissue in the vehicle group, which was significantly lower than those in the 22-(4′-py)-JA and erlotinib groups. Arrowheads indicate the tumors formed on the lungs. Scale bar, 200 μm for the upper panel, and 100 μm for the lower panel.