Figure 3.

Visualization of BT inserts, tumors, and hydrogel cushions with MRI. a) Representative MRI images of mice from the ¹²⁵I + AuNPs group, 3 days before, right after, and 7 days post‐surgery (the tumors are pointed with white arrows). b) Hydrogel volume (n = 5) and c) tumor volume (n = 5) quantified with MRI. The I‐125 + AuNPs group received a radioactive BT insert lined with a lens‐shaped USPION‐containing PF‐A + AuNPs hydrogel cushion, while the I‐125 group received a radioactive BT insert lined with a lens‐shaped USPION‐containing PF‐A hydrogel cushion (without AuNPs). The control (primary tumor) group was also exposed to the surgery and had a non‐radioactive BT insert lined with a lens‐shaped USPION‐containing PF‐A hydrogel cushion (without AuNPs). The secondary tumors developed on the other flank of the same mice were not exposed to the surgery but were used as an additional control (secondary tumor, no surgery). The data were analyzed using the one‐way ANOVA test (p < 0.05) followed by the Post Hoc Tukey HSD test and are presented as mean ± SD, p < 0.05 (*).