Fig. 7. TIMP3 suppressed lymph node metastasis in a TW2.6 orthotopic graft model.

a Luciferase activity image of mice after injecting with luciferase-tagged TW2.6/pcDNA3 or TW2.6/TIMP3 cells. b After 35 days of tumor cell injection, tumors from six mice injected with TW2.6/pcDNA3 or TW2.6/TIMP3 were quantified by measuring the photon influx. c, d Lymph node metastasis was imaged at the end of the study with the mean signal for each group indicated (n = 6). *p < 0.05 compared with the TW2.6/pcDNA3 groups. e, f Macroscopic analysis of neck lymph nodes. The appearance, number, and volume of neck lymph nodes were photographed, enumerated, and measured after removal. *p < 0.05 compared with the TW2.6/pcDNA3 groups. g Proposed model for the role of TIMP3 methylation contributes to oral cancer metastasis