Figure 8. In vivo anti-tumor efficacy of the MSCs/cryogel therapeutic device.

(a) Plasma concentration of bsAb CD33-CD3 was detected in NMRI^nu/nu mice, s.c. transplanted with cryogels housing 5 × 10⁵ bsAb-releasing MSCs (MSCs/cryogel group) or empty scaffold (control group). The plasma level of the immunoagent was detected and quantified via ELISA on the fourth day post-transplantation. Data are shown as mean ± SD of six or three experimental mice. (b) Immunodeficient NMRI^nu/nu mice were s.c. transplanted with cryogel-housed MSCs (n = 5) or empty scaffolds (n = 5) into the right legs and distinguished as treatment and control group respectively. Following 4 days, 1.5 × 10⁶ human T-cells were mixed with 5 × 10⁵ CD33⁺ MOLM-13 expressing firefly luciferase and s.c. injected into the left leg of both mice groups. Luminescence imaging of anesthetized mice was performed 10 min after i.p. injection of 200 μl of D-luciferin potassium salt starting at day 0, followed at day 1, day 4, and day 5 and the persistence of viable MOLM-13-Luc⁺ evaluated over the experimental time in both mice groups is reported as light intensity. Data represents the mean ± SD of 5 mice per group starting from day 0 to day 5. Statistical significance was determined using Student’s t-test. *p < 0.05. (c) Representative optical imaging of 3 out of 5 mice from the control and the treatment group are reported respectively.