Figure 4.
Histological sections of HCT116 spheroids fixed at three different time points after seeding, stained with pimonidazole (green, hypoxia), Ki-67 (red, proliferation), and DAPI (blue, all cell nuclei). No significant hypoxia is observed on treatment day (day four). A hypoxic core that is surrounded by a rim of cells many of which are proliferating (red) develops over time. Necrosis in the spheroid core may be indicated by a decreased cellular density at the centre in the section of a spheroid fixed on day 25.