Skip to main content
. 2017 Sep 5;5:17023. doi: 10.1038/boneres.2017.23

Figure 2.

Figure 2

VDR knockdown in MDA-MB-231 cells reduces tumor growth in vivo. (a–c) Orthotopic implantation: When implanted into the mammary fat pad, tumors derived from MDA-VDR-KD cells grew significantly slower than those induced by MDA-NT cells (n=10) (a). At study endpoint (day 33 post implantation), tumor weight (b) was reduced by 40% while the proportion of apoptotic cancer cells (c) was increased by 36% in MDA-VDR-KD compared to MDA-NT tumors (n=10). Asterisks denote significant difference from controls (*P<0.05). Data are mean±s.e.m. (d–j) Intra-tibial implantation: At endpoint (day 21 post implantation) lytic lesion size on X-ray, micro-CT (d,e) and histological tumor area (f) were significantly smaller in mice implanted with MDA-VDR-KD than with MDA-NT cells (n=15). Compared to NT controls, tumors derived from VDR knockdown cells were characterized by an increased proportion of apoptotic cancer cells (g) and lower mitotic activity (h). At the bone/tumor interface, tumors derived from VDR knockdown cells exhibited increased total and cortical bone area (i,j), and reduced osteoclast number (k). Asterisks denote significant difference from MDA-NT (*P<0.05; **P<0.01). Data are mean±s.e.m.