Fig 5. The siEfp treatment suppresses the growth of Ishikawa cell-derived tumors in athymic mice.

(A–C) Inhibition of tumor formation in athymic mice after Efp siRNA treatment. Eight-week-old female athymic mice were subcutaneously injected with Ishikawa cells (5 × 10⁵ cells) mixed with Matrigel. When the average tumor volume exceeded 150 mm³, 5 μg of siEfp #A or siControl mixed with 4 μL of GeneSilencer, a transfection reagent, was directly injected into the formed tumors twice a week. Representative tumors generated in athymic mice are shown (A). The tumor size was measured every week. Data are presented as means ± s.e. (n = 10). *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01 (B). Tumors were dissected from the mice 7 weeks after siRNA administration and their homogenates were subjected to western blot analysis using antibodies for Efp and 14-3-3σ. β-actin was analyzed as a loading control (C).