Figure 2.

Cytotoxicity and ROS generation by miR-145-5p expression (A) Endogenous expression levels of miR-145-5p in IHOK and OSCC cells using real-time PCR. (B) Efficacy of Pa-PDT as a function of endogenous miR-145-5p expression. Cell viability was measured via MTT assay. (C) Cells were transfected with the miR-CONT or miR-145-5p mimic and then treated with PDT (0.3 μM, 0.5 J/cm²). Cell viability was measured via MTT assay. (D) After transfection with the miR-CONT or miR-145-5p mimic and incubation with 0.3 μM Pa for 2 h in a dark room, cells were gently rinsed with PBS and incubated with 10 μM of ROS dye at 37 °C and 5% CO₂ for 20 min. After rinsing with PBS, cells were irradiated by light (0.5 J/cm²). After a 15 min incubation, the amount of ROS generated was quantified using flow cytometry. Data represent the median and 95% confidence interval of three independent samples, and the experiment was repeated three times per sample. Asterisks indicate statistical significance (* p<0.05).